The camera focuses on a man in old sailor’s clothing, appearing to be captured mid-dance, but rather restrained. His face is brightly lit by a flickering oil lamp, highlighting all the wrinkles steeped in adventures of the past. His half-enthusiastic, half-forced dance is happening on the wooden deck of an ancient barge, with other sailors observing him circumspectly from the darkened corners of the frame.
The picturesque reflection of moonlight on the rippling sea in the background contrasts sharply with the dimly lit, claustrophobic foreground, creating depth. The frame is balanced out with barrels and ropes that dominate one side, while the sailors balancing the opposite side.
The iridescent hues vary from bluish-silver of the ocean to the brown and orange tints dominating the barge deck. The camera angle is slightly tilted, suggesting chaos, while at the same time capturing the dance and viewer-sailors in one shot.
Suddenly, the camera frenzies into a whirl, mimicking the sailor’s unsteady movement. This spree comes to a halt when the focus shifts back to the sailor, who stops dancing abruptly, leaving the viewer with an anticipation of the unexpected.