60 horses. 1 massive death machine. 1897 cinema at its weirdest.
A very heavy turret is transported on a truck drawn by a long line of horses. The inscription “Charlemagne 53790K” readable on the turret suggests that this view was shot in the vicinity of Saint-Chamond, a town where there are factories specializing in the construction of heavy steel. It is certainly a turret intended for the battleship “Charlemagne”. In addition, a view projected by the Aléthorama on January 20, 1898 in Saint-Étienne, and entitled “Transportation of the armored turret of Saint-Chamond by a team of 80 horses”, could represent the same event.
Practical Effects
Actual 60-horse team hauling real battleship turret—no CGI, just horsepower.
Production
Lumière capturing industrial scale with single static camera, 1897.
Director
Louis Lumière
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Charlemagne-class battleships represented France's scramble to match British naval power, making this humble horse team part of an imperial arms race.
Saint-Chamond would later become synonymous with French tank production in WWI—the same industrial complex, now mechanized.
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