Demolition of a Wall

Demolition of a Wall is a short film by Lumiere Brothers, with duration about 40 seconds.

Some workers are demolishing a wall inside the Lumiere factory in Lyon, directed by the same Auguste Lumiere, which provides precise instructions to them. One of the most interesting things to observe is the movement of the workers, going out of view and then back to the scene; Auguste Lumiere himself moves dynamically on the stage (back and forth, left and right).

This movie is remembered mainly because it was the first film using “reverse footage” technique, that consists in play the film backwards, from end to beginning. The Lumiere brothers realized that rewinding the film when was ending, would give to people the illusion that the wall just destroyed would magically erects itself from the dust. A very simple trick, but at the time so effective that some viewers complained nauseous when watching.