This film is part of Free
Boys Bathing - Venice
An intimate, playful scene of young lads cooling off and larking about in a Venetian backwater
Overview
There's a gondola in shot, but this is far from a typical Venetian view. This early film directed by William Kennedy-Laurie Dickson shows a group of youngsters in a hot Italian summer, dunking themselves and each other in the cool water of the canal. Their boisterous antics are observed by a group of women on dry land - two of whom are holding younger children safe from the water - including one who cannot resist the temptation. As the short film ends, she is about to make a splash herself.
WKL Dickson was a Scottish inventor and filmmaker who had worked for Thomas Edison in America, where he devised an early motion-picture camera, called the Kinetograph. In 1895, he formed the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company with a few associates. The company made several actuality films, shot on large-format 68mm film so as not to infringe Edison's copyright on 35mm stock. Among the many films Dickson made for the firm, he shot several short subjects in Venice in 1898.
Related
Tram Journey through Southampton Tram Journey through Southampton
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins Silent Location: Southampton
A moving tour through lively turn-of-the-century Southampton.
Churned Waters Churned Waters
Non-Fiction 1899 1 mins Silent
A hypnotic study of the wake of a ship at sea
Panorama of the Paris Exhibition No. 3 Panorama of the Paris Exhibition No. 3
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins Silent
An unusual view of Paris, shot from a boat travelling down the Seine. You can even see the Eiffel tower - almost!
Railway Ride over the Tay Bridge Railway Ride over the Tay Bridge
Non-Fiction 1897 5 mins Silent Location: Tay Bridge
Stunning train's eye views across the Tay rail bridge from Fife to Dundee
Phantom Ride - Chamonix Phantom Ride - Chamonix
Non-Fiction 1900 2 mins Silent
Admire the view but don't look down, as this short film takes you on a breathtaking trip through the Alps
A Steamship Passes By A Steamship Passes By
Non-Fiction 1899 1 mins
With energetic waving of handkerchiefs to those on shore, a large steamship heads off
Showgirls is a Western Showgirls is a Western
Short documentary 2025 2 mins
In this mini video essay, BFI contributor Maha Al-Badrawi explains why Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls is a rhinestoned, stilettoed Western.
Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion
Short documentary 2026 22 mins
Filmmaker Andrea Luka Zimmerman and curator Matthew Barrington discuss Frederick Wiseman’s High School with Sandra Hebron.
Hard, Cracked the Wind Hard, Cracked the Wind
Horror 2019 17 mins
A haunting with words is the lure between life and death for a young Cornish poet.
A Last Resort A Last Resort
Comedy 2022 17 mins
Rose is desperate to celebrate her 60th birthday in style, but her daughter Genevieve is struggling to ignore some recent tragic news about her mum.
Seagull Seagull
Horror 2022 6 mins
Seagull is a recovering drug addict who is about to have a very strange night on The English Riviera.
The Walk The Walk
Drama 2023 12 mins
Adeel Akhtar portrays a man on a weekly trek to his nearest JobCentre, entering a state of purgatory through barriers put in place by the system.