This film can also be found in its original French title, Barque sortant du port (1895). Most film historians put the start of movies at the end of 1895, when the father of the Lumiere brothers showed ten of their films to a paying audience, in France, in late December, 1895. However, the Lumiere's had produced a couple of other films they made throughout 1895, that would be shown later that year to test audiences, but in all reality, probably weren't released for paying consumption until winter of 1896. In any event, Boat Leaving the Port (1895), remains part of the small group of motion pictures, that came from the year 1895. I saw some colorized versions and restorations of this film on YouTube, that looked pretty good.
The framing for Boat Leaving the Port (1895), is charmingly interesting. It makes the women on the dock look like they are out floating in the water with the men in the boat. The dock looks like it's cut off from the land, but then the women walk off of it, off camera. At the same time, waves make it difficult for the men in the boat (apparently all the actors in this documentary-like recreation are members from the Lumiere family). After the camera stopped rolling, history does not mention, if anybody fell out of the boat. This film shows the ability, that the camera had in capturing the energy of our world. It also shows the beauty of framing, that these pioneers were already mastering. It also shows how far we have come, in our attempts to tame Mother Nature. It is a beautiful moment in history.
9.5 (A MyGrade) = 9 IMDB.
