Which 1903 silent film is often credited as the first narrative film with a coherent story?

The 1903 silent film often credited as the first narrative film with a coherent story is The Great Train Robbery.

Directed by Edwin S. Porter for the Edison Manufacturing Company, the short film follows outlaws who force a train to stop, rob its passengers and express car, escape with the loot, and are eventually pursued and defeated by a posse. Its connected sequence of events gave early cinema a clear action-driven plot rather than simply recording a single spectacle or everyday scene.

The film was about 12 minutes long and used several techniques that became important in narrative filmmaking, including location shooting, camera movement, and editing between events in different places. Its famous final image shows the outlaw leader firing directly toward the camera, although exhibitors could place that shot at either the beginning or end.

The wording “often credited” matters: earlier films had already told stories, so this is not literally the first fictional narrative ever made. Its importance comes from combining a coherent plot, energetic editing, and popular Western imagery in a highly influential commercial success.