The Waterer Watered (1895) L’Arroseur Arrosé 1st Comedy Movie

The world’s 1st comedy, The Sprinkler Sprinkled (also known as L’Arroseur Arrosé and The Waterer Watered) was shot in Lyon in the spring of 1895. The film portrays a simple practical joke in which a gardener is tormented by a boy who steps on the hose that the gardener is using to water his plants, cutting off the water flow. When the gardener tilts the nozzle up to inspect it, the boy releases the hose, causing the water to spray him. The gardener is stunned and his hat is knocked off, but he soon catches on. A chase ensues, both on and off-screen (the camera never moves from its original position) until the gardener catches the boy and administers a spanking. Louis Lumière used his own gardener, François Clerc, to portray the gardener. The first public screening of films at which admission was charged was held on December 28, 1895, at Salon Indien du Grand Café in Paris. This presentation by the Lumière brothers featured ten short movies, including L’arroseur arrosé, which played sixth. The entire program of films from this 1st paid viewing, in order of presentation, are as follows: 01. La sortie des usines Lumière à Lyon (Workers Leaving the Factory) 02. La Voltige (Horse Trick Riding) 03. La pêche aux poissons rouges (Fishing for Goldfish) 04. Neuville-sur-Saône: Débarquement du congrès des photographes à Lyon (The Photographical Congress Arrives in Lyon) 05. Les Forgerons (The Blacksmiths) 06. L’arroseur arrosé (The Sprinkler Sprinkled) 07. Repas de bébé (Baby’s Meal) 08. Le saut à la couverture (Jumping the Blanket) 09. Place des Cordeliers à Lyon (Cordeliers’ Square in Lyon) 10. La Mer (The Sea)