Exiting the Factory (1895)

A man opens the big gates to the Lumière factory. Through the gateway and a smaller doorway beside it, workers are streaming out, turning either left or right. Most of them are women in ... See full summary »

Director:

Louis Lumière

Storyline

A man opens the big gates to the Lumière factory. Through the gateway and a smaller doorway beside it, workers are streaming out, turning either left or right. Most of them are women in long dresses and big hats, but some are men. Suddenly a man with a long apron rushes out through the crowd, followed by a big dog. At last some men on bikes leave the gateway. When all workers have left the factory, the doorkeeper starts closing the gates again.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to lumiere brothers | reference to the lumiere brothers | employee | lyon | workers | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Short

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

France

Release Date:

22 March 1895 (France)

Also Known As:

Exiting the Factory

Filming Locations:

Besançon, Doubs, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lumière

Technical Specs

Runtime:

1 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It was the first film ever to be projected to a paying audience.

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Alternate Versions

Three versions of the film exist. There are a number of differences between them, such as the clothing styles worn by the workers change to reflect the different seasons the versions were shot in, and the horse-drawn carriage that appears in the first version is pulled by one horse, two horses in the second version, and no horse and no carriage in the third version.

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Connections

Featured in Fejezetek a film történetéböl: Az európai film kezdetei (1989)

User Reviews

Lumière

On the 28th of December, 1895, in the Grand Café in Paris, film history was writing itself while Louis Lumière showed his short films, all single shots, to a paying audience. 'La Sortie des Usines Lumière' was the first film to be played and I wish I was there, not only to see the film, but also the reactions of the audience.

We start with closed doors of the Lumière factory. Apparently, since the image seems a photograph, people thought they were just going to see a slide show, not something they were hoping for. But then the doors open and people are streaming out, heading home. First a lot of women, then some men, and one man on a bike with a big dog. When they are all out the doors close again.

Whether this is the first film or not (some say 'L'Arrivée d'un Train à la Ciotat' was the first film Lumière recorded), it is an impressive piece of early cinema. Being bored by this is close to impossible for multiple reasons. One simple reason: it is only fifty seconds long. But also for people who normally only like the special effect films there must be something interesting here; you don't get to see historical things like this every day.