The Sea (1895)
"Baignade en mer" (original title)

Several little boys run along a pier, then jump into the ocean.

Director:

Louis Lumière

Storyline

The sea is before us. Some rocks are visible to the right and a narrow jetty extends about ten meters or so about three feet above the sea, held up by two sets of pylons. A woman and several lads about ten years old are coming out onto the rocks, one climbs onto the jetty at the end. He jumps back into the sea as the lads and lady run out to the end of the jetty and jump off. Even though the sea looks to be only about a foot deep, one boy does a flip into the water and repeats it later. The others simply jump in.

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Plot Keywords:

sea | swimming | sea | pier | swimmer

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Genres:

Documentary | Short

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Details

Country:

France

Release Date:

28 June 1896 (Finland)

Also Known As:

The Sea

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lumière

Technical Specs

Runtime:

1 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Pleasant, Rather Nostalgic Feature

It's pleasant and rather nostalgic to watch this simple, but lively, footage of a group of swimmers as they dive and splash in the sea. It almost feels as if you are at the seashore, and it also can bring to mind one's own memories of swimming as a youth.

The photography is nicely done in catching the length of the pier and most of the action of the swimmers, and also in catching the rolling motion of the waves as they come towards the camera. Whether by design or by a fortunate coincidence, it makes the movie work even better that it was filmed on a day with such noticeable motion in the sea itself.

The swimmers themselves seem to be having a good time, and it creates an innocent sense of energy and life that accounts for the movie's simple but pleasing nature.