Dragoons Crossing the Sâone - 1896

Dragoons Crossing the Sâone (Dragoons traversant la Saône à la nage), is a short film produced by Auguste and Louis Lumière.

A stationary camera looks across Burgundy’s river Sâone toward a small military encampment. Four horsemen enter the water in the foreground, each riding his horse as it swims across toward camp or leading it by the bridle as they swim.

The film captures the crossing of half-naked dragoons with horses across the Burgundy river Saône. First, 4 men enter the river, then another 7 follow them. On the other bank you can see a temporary pier and a camp not far from it. Some men on the other side are watching the ravages, others ignoring him.

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