Waves Break on Bow of a Ship

A vicarious ocean-going experience

You’ll need your sea legs to watch this film, which was apparently filmed from a perilous position on the ship’s mast - in rough seas. This is a nautical example of a 'phantom ride' - in which a camera is mounted on a moving vehicle - a popular genre among early filmgoers for the still-novel sensation of travel it offered. Thanks to the swelling waves, the effect when projected on a screen is rather queasier than the comparatively gentle train or tram journeys that were more typical phantom ride subjects.

Waves on Bow of a Ship was made by Warwick Trading Company, a leading British film production and distribution company between 1898-1915.