The Cars That Ate Paris

The Cars That Ate Paris
Promotional poster
Directed by	Peter Weir
Produced by	Hal McElroy Jim McElroy
Written by	Peter Weir
Starring	John Meillon Terry Camilleri Chris Haywood Bruce Spence
Music by	Bruce Smeaton
Cinematography	John McLean
Editing by	Wayne LeClos
Studio	New Yorker Films
Distributed by	Z (AUS) New Line Cinema (US)
Release date(s)	October 10, 1974 (1974-10-10) (AUS) June 11, 1976 (1976-06-11) (US)
Running time	91 minutes 74 minutes (US cut)
Country	Australia
Language	English

The Cars That Ate Paris is a 1974 Australian horror comedy film. Directed by Peter Weir, it was his first feature film. Shot mostly in the rural town of Sofala, New South Wales, the film is set in the fictional town of Paris in which most of the inhabitants appear to be directly, or indirectly, involved in profiting from the results of car accidents.

Plot

The film begins with an urban couple driving through the countryside in what looks like a cinema advertisement. The scene comes to a halt with a fatal accident. The rural Australian town of Paris arranges fatal accidents to visitors driving through. Townspeople collect items from the luggage of the deceased passengers whilst survivors are taken to the local hospital where they are given lobotomies with power tools and kept as "vegies" for medical experiments by the earnest town surgeon. The young men of the town salvage and modify the wrecked vehicles into a variety of strange looking cars designed for destruction.

Arthur Waldo (Terry Camilleri) and his older brother, George (Rick Scully), drive though Paris with their caravan where they meet with an accident that kills George. Arthur is spared and looked after by the Mayor of Paris (John Meillon) who invites Arthur to stay in his home as one of his family; his two young daughters have been "adopted" after being orphaned in motor accidents in the town.

Arthur unsuccessfully attempts to leave Paris but due to a previous incident where he was exonerated of manslaughter for running over an elderly pedestrian, he has lost his confidence in driving and there does not seem to be any public transport. Mayor Les gives Arthur a job at the local hospital as a medical orderly. Beneath the idyllic rural paradise of Paris is a festering feud between the young men of the town who live for their modified vehicles that they terrorise the town with and the older generation. When one of the hoons damages the Mayor's property and breaks a statue of an Aborigine the older men of the town burn the guilty driver's car as he is held down.

The Mayor appoints Arthur the town Parking Inspector complete with brassard and Army bush jacket that further irritates the young men. The situation reaches its boiling point the night of the town's annual Pioneers Ball which is a fancy dress and costume party. What was planned to be a "car gymkhana" by the young men turns into an assault on the town where both sides attack each other killing several of the residents. Arthur regains his driving confidence when he repeatedly drives the Mayor's car into his former hospital orderly supervisor who is one of the hoons.

Cast

• John Meillon as Mayor Les
• Terry Camilleri as Arthur Waldo
• Chris Haywood as Darryl
• Bruce Spence as Charlie
• Kevin Miles as Dr. Midland
• Rick Scully as George Waldo
• Max Gillies as Metcalfe
• Peter Armstrong as Gorman
• Joe Burrow as Ganger
• Deryck Barnes as Al Smedley
• Edward Howell as Tringham

Release

The producers unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate an American release for the film with Roger Corman after it was shown at the Cannes film festival. Shortly afterwards Corman recruited Paul Bartel to direct his Death Race 2000; Bartel hadn't seen The Cars That Ate Paris but he was aware that Corman had a print of the film.

The film received an American release in 1976 by New Line Cinema under the title The Cars That Eat People with added on narration and other differences.

In 1992, it was adapted as a Music-Theatre work by Chamber Made Opera.

Reception

The film currently holds a 57% 'Fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

See also

• Cinema of Australia
• Peter Weir

External links

• The Cars That Ate Paris at the Internet Movie Database
• The Cars That Ate Paris at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Cars That Ate Paris at the Australian screen
• The Cars That Ate Paris at the National Film and Sound Archive