During the 1910s and into the 1920s, chase or racing films were one of the more popular sorts of comedies being made i America....and Mack Sennett was most famous for these crazy and incredibly dangerous films. They were all filmed out on real roads and featured some of the craziest stunts of the day. Well, it had to begin somewhere....and in "Paris to Monte Carlo", you have one of the earliest racing/chase films. And, because it was early, it was all filmed inside a movie stage!
When this Georges Méliès film begins, you see a stage backdrop of the Paris Opera House and a crowd in front of it. Soon an auto pulls up and two guys in what look like raccoon coats get out and greet the crowd. I assume this is supposed to be an auto race of some sort. Well, I assumed wrong, as they don't appear to be in a huge hurry...at least at first. And through the course of their trip, the pair do a lot of zany and irresponsible driving! The first is one of the weirdest...and uses a trick the filmmaker used on several other occasions. They run over a man...but then pump him back up with tire pumps!! It's all very cartoony and ends violently...and made me laugh! And, their insane driving didn't seem to get any better!! A lot of fun....and pretty weird.
One thing I should mention is that the IMDB summary says that that a man need to get to Monte Carlo but the train won't get him there fast enough...so he goes by race car. Perhaps this was originally in the film...but there's no evidence of this plot at all...you just see two guys driving like maniacs for no apparent reason (though it appears they are in a car race...albeit a slow one!).
When this Georges Méliès film begins, you see a stage backdrop of the Paris Opera House and a crowd in front of it. Soon an auto pulls up and two guys in what look like raccoon coats get out and greet the crowd. I assume this is supposed to be an auto race of some sort. Well, I assumed wrong, as they don't appear to be in a huge hurry...at least at first. And through the course of their trip, the pair do a lot of zany and irresponsible driving! The first is one of the weirdest...and uses a trick the filmmaker used on several other occasions. They run over a man...but then pump him back up with tire pumps!! It's all very cartoony and ends violently...and made me laugh! And, their insane driving didn't seem to get any better!! A lot of fun....and pretty weird.
One thing I should mention is that the IMDB summary says that that a man need to get to Monte Carlo but the train won't get him there fast enough...so he goes by race car. Perhaps this was originally in the film...but there's no evidence of this plot at all...you just see two guys driving like maniacs for no apparent reason (though it appears they are in a car race...albeit a slow one!).