Abstract: This chapter delves into the phenomenon of “phantom ride” films, a popular form of early actuality cinema at the turn of the twentieth century. These films, shot from the front of moving vehicles such as trains, trams, and eventually automobiles, provided viewers with a unique point of view (POV) experience, immersing them in the space traversed by the camera. Drawing from Lynne Kirby's concept of locomotive perception, the author explores how these films, typically associated with train travel, introduced audiences to a form of “protoautomobility” long before automobiles became widely accessible. Finally, through a discussion of notable examples like “Leaving Jerusalem by Railway” and “The Haverstraw Tunnel,” the article highlights the immersive and anticipatory nature of these films in shaping viewers’ perceptions of mobility.

Keywords: point of view (POV), early cinema, film history, travel films

Fusing the rollercoaster, the locomotive, and the cinema (and anticipating the point of view [POV] of automobility), one of the most popular early actualities at the turn of the century was the “phantom ride” film. Typically lasting anywhere from one to over six minutes, phantom ride films were shot from the front of a moving vehicle (most of them were filmed from a train, but others were shot from trams, trolleys, streetcars, subways, boats, and eventually automobiles). The camera could be mounted to either the front or the back of the moving vehicle. Most often, the vehicle that the camera and cameraman or camerawoman were mounted to remained unseen in the film, hence the ghostly or “phantom” nature of these films. The resulting POV ranged from striking to spectacular, putting the spectator in the position of a traveller, immersed in the space that the camera moved through. Aligned seamlessly with the camera, its movement became their movement, transforming the viewer into a Traveller-Spectator. This chapter will explore how these phantom ride films, typically associated with train travel, are responsible for introducing the mode of perception equated with automobility long before most filmgoers had even seen an automobile. Building from the influential argument framed by Lynne Kirby in her book Parallel Tracks: The Railroad and Silent Cinema (1997) that locomotive perception was protocinematic, this chapter argues that phantom ride films offered cinema's earliest audiences a unique experience of protoautomobility long before most people had even seen an automobile (let alone been in one).