The '?' Motorist

Starring: Unknown
Directed by: W.R. Booth
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Short, Fantasy, Comedy
Length: 3 minutes
1906

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A motorist runs from policemen, drives up buildings, on the moon, and around Saturn's rings.

Review:

Tim: I actually really enjoyed W.R. Booth's (unpronounceable) film, The '?' Motorist. The movie is a fun, entertaining trick film that showed off some of the more fantasy elements that were being done in the early cinema. While interesting, this film doesn't have a great deal of unique characteristics. The policeman being run over recalls Booth's An Extraordinary Cab Accident, and the film borrows heavily from Georges Melies films. Still, it does add to the conversation, not merely just copy it.

Here's the story- a man and a woman are driving an automobile. They are asked to stop by a policeman, and they run him over. Humorously, he's hanging off the front of the car for the first scene. In the second scene, the policeman is pushed off, and run over by the car. This is the scene that evokes An Extraordinary Cab Accident. However, the join is much more subtle here, and it actually looks pretty authentic. They certainly fixed the issue from the other film. It is still obvious if you're looking, but it is much more enjoyable to watch. The car drives on, and up the side of a building. Again, with the scenes being cut, it's a bit obvious how this was done, but it still makes for a nearly seamless transition. The cut scene back is better, with the policeman still chasing them, and people running out of the building. It's all quite fun to watch.

Now the fantasy elements are really upped. We see the car flying through the air. The special effects are crude, but the effect works. We next see the car driving on top of clouds. While this is beyond ridiculous, it's one of the most beautifully shot scenes in the film. The sky behind the automobile is dark, the stars are twinkling, and it all looks quite impressive. This is the scene that reminded me of film's power to transport us to amazing places. From the clouds, they jump over to the moon, do one lap around it, and then hitch a ride on a comet to Saturn. This is probably the most memorable, coolest image of the entire film- they drive around Saturn's rings like they are a racetrack (interestingly, they drive around counter-clockwise). They do two-and-a-half laps, and fall back to Earth. They crash through a building, and drive off, being chased again. When they are caught, the automobile transforms into a horse-and-carriage. They drive off, and transform back into an automobile, with the police still in chase. There's not much character development, but the film takes us on a pretty fantastic journey.

It was impressive to see the tricks involved in making this film. While quite simplistic by today's standards, they must have delighted audiences in 1904. I had a very fun time watching this fantastical movie, and marveled how the filmmakers were able to transport us to different places here. This film is a great example of the magic of the movies.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
An Extraordinary Cab Accident