This film is part of Free
Rough Sea
Dover’s Admiralty Pier could be the setting for these Victorian shots of waves breaking.
Overview
This film shows waves breaking against a pier and beach, possibly Admiralty Pier in Dover. The popularity of films like this in the early days of cinema is possibly explained by the accuracy with which the new medium captured the chaotic rhythms of the water. In this case, the way the undertow clashes with the incoming swell is something that couldn’t be captured in paint, or even dissolving lantern slides.
Related
Rough Sea at Roker (1901) Rough Sea at Roker (1901)
Non-Fiction 1901 2 mins Silent Location: Roker
Mesmerising film of sea waves on the north east coast of England.
Incoming Tide Incoming Tide
Non-Fiction 1898 1 mins Silent Location: Worthing
Worthing waves at us in this mesmerising early film
Rough Sea at Dover Rough Sea at Dover
Non-Fiction 1895 0 mins Silent
Waves crash onto a jetty on the Kentish shoreline in one of Britain's earliest surviving films
Waves Break on Bow of a Ship Waves Break on Bow of a Ship
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins
A vicarious ocean-going experience
Rough Sea Rough Sea
Non-Fiction 1900 1 mins Silent
Breaking waves at an unidentified coastal location
Waves Breaking on a Pier Waves Breaking on a Pier
Non-Fiction 1896 1 mins Silent
Intrepid tourists brave the great waves breaking on the marina wall at Brighton
New Perspectives: La Haine New Perspectives: La Haine
Short documentary 2025 4 mins
Charlie Hammersley, a student from Northumbria University, explains how Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film holds up a mirror to society.
Dreamers Q&A Dreamers Q&A
Inside Film 2025 30 mins
The film-makers behind a haunting tale of love and community within a UK immigration detention centre visited the BFI Southbank to discuss their film.
Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 50 mins
Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation at BFI Southbank, discussing the making of One Battle After Another.
Laura Mulvey in Conversation Laura Mulvey in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 76 mins
Laura Mulvey in conversation, following her BFI Fellowship Award.
George Clooney in Conversation George Clooney in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 74 mins
George Clooney visited BFI Southbank to look back on his life and career.
Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 65 mins
The Oscar®- winning director of Nomadland discusses her unique approach to filmmaking and the inspiration behind the adaptation of Hamnet.