Snowball Fight
About Snowball Fight
On a tree-lined street in Lyon, about a dozen men and women throw snowballs. A cyclist rides into the fight, falls, is not hurt, and turns back the way he came. The throwing goes on. Louis Lumière filmed it for the Lumière company. The French title is Bataille de neige. It was also called Snowballing.
Cast & crew
More about Snowball Fight
Louis Lumière directed. Auguste and Louis Lumière produced. Wikidata times it at 1 minute and lists publication dates of 1897 and 7 February 1896. This record’s year is 1897. A Commons file uses the title Bataille de neige and the year 1896.
Themes
Making
The Lumière camera stays at one end of the street. The joke is the cyclist who becomes the target and retreats.
Look
One setup on a Lyon street holds the whole fight.
Preservation
The film survives. A copy is on Wikimedia Commons.
Notes
- The cyclist is the only person who leaves the frame on purpose.
- Nobody in the fight is named.
- The Commons filename dates the picture 1896. The English Wikipedia article dates it 1897.
- The street is lined with trees and already covered in snow.
Scenes
- The cyclist rides into the throws and falls.
- He gets up and rides back. The fight continues.
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (Bataille de neige (1896).webm)
