1895 French short black-and-white silent documentary film directed by Auguste and Louis Lumière

1895 film by Louis Lumière

1895 film directed by Louis Lumière

Down the gangway, photographers leave the deck of a riverboat in large numbers.

In the background is a house. In the foreground, a groom holds the reins of a sleek black horse that stands in profile. A tall man, dressed in a black uniform, demonstrates how to mount the horse then encourages and tries to assist a man in white. The man in white keeps falling, and soon it's apparent that he's an putting on a show. His pratfalls become more elaborate and stylish. The horse stands patient. The little groom laughs to see such sport. And finally, the man in white finds a comic accommodation. The story, though brief, has a beginning, middle, and end.