Colorized Footage Captures Massive Snowball Fight From 1897

People in the Victorian era had a reputation for being stuffy and humorless. (Their stern-faced portraits can certainly make them seem so, at least). But sometimes, we get a glimpse behind the facade, showing us their all-too-relatable moments of silliness and humor.

In Bataille de neige (Snow Battle), we get one such glimpse. Filmed in 1897 by the Lumière brothers, pioneers in the recently invented art form of videography, this 1-minute silent film depicts an energetic snowball fight along an avenue in Lyon, France. From the start, men and women alike pelt each other with balls of fallen snow. If there are any teams, they’re quickly lost in the chaos—that is, until the perfect victim appears. A man riding his bike right down the middle of the street is swarmed on both sides by people who bombard him with snowballs, laughing all the while. The poor man is thrown from his bike and his hat goes flying, landing several feet away in the snow. In his stumbling rush to turn around and pedal away, he leaves the accessory there and lets the chaos continue to unfold behind him.

Bataille de neige was, of course, originally filmed in black and white. It was filmed on a cinematograph, a large all-in-one device combining the abilities to capture photos and video, process the film, and project it. But due to the newness of movie technology and Bataille de neige’s subsequent low frame rate, it was also fairly choppy, making a potentially frustrating viewing experience for modern audiences. Then, in 2020, Bataille de Neige was colorized and enhanced using the AI-powered software DeOldify, producing a clip of remarkable visual and historical quality. After watching the updated silent film at the top of the article, you can check out the original version in black and white below.

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