THE AUTOMOBILE CHASE (1905)
aka PARIS TO MONTE CARLO, LE RAID PARIS-MONTE CARLO EN DEUX HEURES
Article 2035 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-10-2006
Posting Date: 3-9-2007
Directed by Georges Melies

An automobile races from Paris to Monte Carlo, wreaking havoc along the way.

The fantastic content in this comic Melies film is somewhat slighter than usual, but a scene in which they run over and flatten a person (who is then returned to the correct shape through the use of tire pumps) moves it into the area of fantasy. The car may also be a science-fiction invention as well; I don’t recall other cars of the era looking that way, and it does get somewhat airborne on occasion, so that might qualify. My favorite scene is when the car hits the biggest obstacle on its trip; a guard uses his big round stomach to push the car back in the direction it came. My print has some of the hand-coloring used at the time, but it ends rather abruptly.