While it is impossible to judge this early experiment by the standards of cinema, we can see it is an important and imitated film. Two of Robert Paul's earliest films were "Rough Seas at Margate" -- indeed, he shot two variations of it. It's hard to imagine that Paul had not seen or at least heard of Marey's efforts, which he spent the 1880s producing, after he had invented the "chronophotograph gun". Birt Acres also did a version of this, with "Rough Seas at Dover". Thus, you could say that Marey invented the first film genre, even before the Butterfly Dance movies, or people coming out of factories on their ways home.
Marey also did an ur-cartoon, "L'Homme Machine" but never seems to have capitalized on his inventions in this particular field. He remains an interesting bypath in the invention of cinema.
Marey also did an ur-cartoon, "L'Homme Machine" but never seems to have capitalized on his inventions in this particular field. He remains an interesting bypath in the invention of cinema.