Démolition d'un mur (1896)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Louis Lumière

Genre:

Documentary | Short

Plot:

Another single-shot Lumiere Brothers film, this time showing the demolition of a wall in the grounds of the factory...

Cast

Auguste Lumière

Also Known As:

Demolition of a Wall (USA) (literal English title)

Runtime:

1 min

Country:

France

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Movie Connections:

Edited into The Lumière Brothers' First Films (1996)

A Resourceful Classic of Early Cinema

One of the classics of the earliest years of cinema, this footage of the "Demolition of a Wall" shows the resourcefulness of the Lumière brothers in several ways. It's also still interesting to watch, especially with the popular trick shot added to it.

The Lumières resourcefully took advantage of some work going on in their own factory, by filming this actual removal of an unused wall on the grounds. As with so many of his features, Louis Lumière shows his knack for sensing material that will be interesting to watch, and that will also demonstrate the capabilities of his invention. Seeing a structure being methodically dismantled can often have an unaccountable but definite hold on one's attention, and indeed it is surprisingly interesting to see how the job is done here.

To add to that, Lumière had the imaginative idea for the projection trick that is usually shown after the straightforward footage. It works quite well, and it is one of many examples of the kind of creativity and resourcefulness that Lumière and other cinema pioneers possessed.