MMC Victorian Era Snowball Fight

Jeff Westover · Oct 6, 2020

A Victorian Era snowball fight is going viral and we just have to pile on. The two videos below show the early technology of film-making met with 21st century technology — and the results are stunning. Take a look, in color, at this everyday snowball fight from 124 years ago:

This film has been known about for a long time. The 1896 French short silent film was directed and produced by Louis Lumière. Filmed in Lyons, France, it depicts a number of individuals engaged in a snowball fight on a city street. Here is that original film:

The original film is stunning enough to watch in its own right. Shot with an “all-in-one” camera/developer the actual film itself was close in size to 35mm film, a fairly large film that produced the base for what was more recently colorized and digitized.
In 1895, the Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis, among the world’s first filmmakers, invented a cinematograph, which allowed an audience of more than one person to see a film in motion for the...

ChristmasTimeintheCity · Oct 6, 2020

I watched this clip this morning. What an amazing slice of life from a different time! I loved how the gentleman on the bicycle eventually gave up and rode back the way he came. So glad it was shared here so more people can watch!

MerryCarey · Oct 6, 2020

I’m sure it was staged, but it’s still fascinating to see people from over a hundred years ago just having fun.

DixieBelle · Oct 9, 2020

Wow! That was fascinating. I bet the brothers would be absolutely astounded that people were watching their little film in the year 2020. I think what actually surprised me the most was the 180 change in music LOL!

@smile