This is another inventive little gem from R. W. Paul, one of Britain's movie pioneers who is forgotten by all but cinema historians. This one uses stop-motion trick photography to give the illusion that a man stepping out onto the street is run over by a speeding carriage. Of course the effect is primitive, the join glaringly visible, the body on the street an obvious dummy, but it's no worse than, say, the trick photography on a Benny Hill sketch from the 70s. The film's ending seemed a little odd to me: the victim of the carriage returns to life once a passing bobby has caught the culprit and sprints away with the lady he was talking to - I wonder why?
9 Reviews
He's Dead, Jim
boblipton17 July 2018
A man and a woman are chatting, when a horse-drawn cab strikes the man, runs him over and kills him. People gather and try to help him, but he is dead. Then he stands up and he and the woman run off.
This was directed by Walter Booth for Robert Paul. Booth, like Georges Melies, was a former stage magician, and he was interested in camera tricks and what could be done with them -- in many ways, he developed alongside Melies, who stole one or two of Booth's movies and redid them as his own. Booth would eventually move more securely into animation before having his film career peter out in 1918.
Like Melies' work, the point of the film is the surprise of the camera trickery. It's well executed, although the modern viewer can easily figure out how it was done.
This was directed by Walter Booth for Robert Paul. Booth, like Georges Melies, was a former stage magician, and he was interested in camera tricks and what could be done with them -- in many ways, he developed alongside Melies, who stole one or two of Booth's movies and redid them as his own. Booth would eventually move more securely into animation before having his film career peter out in 1918.
Like Melies' work, the point of the film is the surprise of the camera trickery. It's well executed, although the modern viewer can easily figure out how it was done.
Still Works Well Enough
Snow Leopard12 May 2004
The camera effects and offbeat humor work well enough in "Extraordinary Cab Accident". Both the story and technique are simple, but they are done reasonably well. These early versions of stop-action camera techniques don't seem like anything spectacular now, but there have been some recent movies that lavished a lot of resources on computer-generated imagery that proved to be no more convincing than this is this simple filming of the cab's adventure. It seems likely that the original audiences for this feature were probably entertained and impressed.
While it's not hard to tell how old this one is, and while there are probably a few other films from this era with better stories and effects, this one holds up all right and is still worth seeing, at least if you like to see these very early movies. R.W. Paul was pretty creative, and made some good features that still hold up pretty well. This is one of a number of his features that highlight other recent technologies, such as automobiles, and give us a small glimpse of what everyone thought of them at the time.
While it's not hard to tell how old this one is, and while there are probably a few other films from this era with better stories and effects, this one holds up all right and is still worth seeing, at least if you like to see these very early movies. R.W. Paul was pretty creative, and made some good features that still hold up pretty well. This is one of a number of his features that highlight other recent technologies, such as automobiles, and give us a small glimpse of what everyone thought of them at the time.
Depressing or funny?
Horst_In_Translation30 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"An Extraordinary Cab Accident" is a British short film from 1903, so this one is almost 115 years old. No surprise then that it is black-and-white and a silent film. The two directors are Walter R. Booth and Robert W. Paul, both silent film pioneers and very prolific in their careers, especially Paul, who was an impressive body of work, even if of course most of his works are really short like this one. It does not even run for a minute. A man gets over by a carriage and what seems pretty tragic initially takes a turn for the good at the end. The result is that this is probably mostly to be seen as a comedy. I wonder what audiences were thinking when they watched this film as film was still something new these days and then even somebody died possibly. They must have been truly shocked, not like us who see this so many times in films and not with a happy ending frequently. Anyway, this was a so-so watch. i have seen better films from that era, some even almost 10 years old. Thumbs down.
Early cinema's finest black comedy. (spoiler in final paragraph)
the red duchess15 November 2000
Warning: Spoilers
'L'Arroseur Arrose' may have been cinema's first black comedy, but this is surely the funniest of the early silent era, deeply shocking and influential, its trick has been repeated recently in 'Fetch', 'Final Destination' and 'Scary Movie'. The film is a classic example of order destroyed. We begin with a familiar street scene, calm, some people walking in the background, a couple talking in the centre; a cab approaches. The man bids farewell to the lady as he walks onto the road backwards with evident, but hilarious results.
You can see the special-effects join, but the force of the impact, the sheer fact of the set-up at all, is cheerfully audacious. Even better, the cab-driver just drives off, indifferent to the plight of his victim. He is dragged back by a policeman, and the rupture seems to be restored, as the injured man, seemingly dead, rises again (a metaphor for the immortality of cinema?).
But far from endorse this re-established order, the man grabs the woman and flees: If this is order, I'm getting out of here; forgetting, of course, that it was his own fault in the first place. His panicked exit caps a wonderful comedy.
You can see the special-effects join, but the force of the impact, the sheer fact of the set-up at all, is cheerfully audacious. Even better, the cab-driver just drives off, indifferent to the plight of his victim. He is dragged back by a policeman, and the rupture seems to be restored, as the injured man, seemingly dead, rises again (a metaphor for the immortality of cinema?).
But far from endorse this re-established order, the man grabs the woman and flees: If this is order, I'm getting out of here; forgetting, of course, that it was his own fault in the first place. His panicked exit caps a wonderful comedy.
Funny, the Automobile is usually to Blame
Cineanalyst5 January 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Yes, the special effects--the splices and the replacing of an actor with a dummy--are obvious and primitive, more so even than in contemporary early films. Michael Brooke, for the British Film Institute, says that "compared with the elaborate special effects fantasies that director W.R. Booth and producer R.W. Paul had already concocted – 'The Haunted Curiosity Shop' and 'The Magic Sword' (both 1901) being good examples – 'Extraordinary Cab Accident' seems something of a step back." It doesn't matter, though; the primitiveness is actually palatable in this case, I think. It's part of the charm one can still find today in the films of Georges Méliès, which this film and all such films necessarily emulate; since it's a wacky, fairly dark comedy, quaint and unexpectedly enjoyable, all's forgiven. It doesn't work, for example, in "The Great Train Robbery" of the same year, though, because the effect serves a different function. In that film, it was drama and shock. Here, though, it's odd and funny and it's supposed to be so.
It's also worth pointing out that a horse carriage causes the mayhem here. If you've seen many early films, you'll notice that many of them make fun of the then newfangled automobiles causing problems. This is a nice departure.
R.W. Paul, who made this film, also made "A Chess Dispute" the same year. Both of these short comedies take place in one scene. The one scene film was on its way out by 1903, as evidenced by "The Great Train Robbery" or the numerous films by Méliès. R.W. Paul was partly responsible, too, by creating one of the earliest two scene films in "Come Along Do!" (1898) and subsequent multi-shot films, such as "The Magic Sword" and "Scrooge; or Marley's Ghost" (both 1901). Before the book on the one scene comedy closed, however, Paul took it to its zenith with these two gems.
It's also worth pointing out that a horse carriage causes the mayhem here. If you've seen many early films, you'll notice that many of them make fun of the then newfangled automobiles causing problems. This is a nice departure.
R.W. Paul, who made this film, also made "A Chess Dispute" the same year. Both of these short comedies take place in one scene. The one scene film was on its way out by 1903, as evidenced by "The Great Train Robbery" or the numerous films by Méliès. R.W. Paul was partly responsible, too, by creating one of the earliest two scene films in "Come Along Do!" (1898) and subsequent multi-shot films, such as "The Magic Sword" and "Scrooge; or Marley's Ghost" (both 1901). Before the book on the one scene comedy closed, however, Paul took it to its zenith with these two gems.
Remember...this is from 1903!
planktonrules11 October 2013
"An Extraordinary Cab Accident" is a film that many today will probably find quaint and very, very dated at best. However, when you see it, you need to cut the film some slack. After all, its special effects WERE awfully good for their time--even if they seem very crude today.
A man walks in front of a horse-drawn cab and is trampled. The cabbie doesn't even bother to stop and the nearby cop gives chase. Then, miraculously, the seemingly dead pedestrian jumps up and laughs at everyone as if it's all a joke.
As I mentioned above, the effects were not great compared to today. It's pretty obvious they simply stopped the camera and then tossed a dummy under the cab--and did the opposite later. But, the film is clever for its day and I do appreciate it's dark sense of humor!
A man walks in front of a horse-drawn cab and is trampled. The cabbie doesn't even bother to stop and the nearby cop gives chase. Then, miraculously, the seemingly dead pedestrian jumps up and laughs at everyone as if it's all a joke.
As I mentioned above, the effects were not great compared to today. It's pretty obvious they simply stopped the camera and then tossed a dummy under the cab--and did the opposite later. But, the film is clever for its day and I do appreciate it's dark sense of humor!
Clever mix of effects, drama and comedy
bob the moo19 March 2008
I watched this film on a DVD that was rammed with short films from the period. I didn't watch all of them as the main problem with these type of things that their value is more in their historical novelty value rather than entertainment. So to watch them you do need to be put in the correct context so that you can keep this in mind and not watch it with modern eyes. With the Primitives & Pioneers DVD collection though you get nothing to help you out, literally the films are played one after the other (the main menu option is "play all") for several hours. With this it is hard to understand their relevance and as an educational tool it falls down as it leaves the viewer to fend for themselves, which I'm sure is fine for some viewers but certainly not the majority. What it means is that the DVD saves you searching the web for the films individually by putting them all in one place but that's about it.
Robert Paul continues to develop the media within Britain here with this action film that uses stop-motion animation of a sort. To modern viewers this film will not be anything new or impressive but imagine it 100 years ago and remember that this is a time only a few years after scenes of trains moving on the screen caused panic! Technology always looks dated and so it is with this film, but that does not take away from its importance or its impact at the time. Heck, look at Jurassic Park looks dated even 10 years later as the media moves past it but that doesn't mean it isn't a good film or important at the time.
So it is here as the film has horrific convincing action and a "death" that must have had the audience on the edge of its seat only to provide the relief in a comic aside right at the end. It is a clever combination and is a good example of special effects coming into the media.
Robert Paul continues to develop the media within Britain here with this action film that uses stop-motion animation of a sort. To modern viewers this film will not be anything new or impressive but imagine it 100 years ago and remember that this is a time only a few years after scenes of trains moving on the screen caused panic! Technology always looks dated and so it is with this film, but that does not take away from its importance or its impact at the time. Heck, look at Jurassic Park looks dated even 10 years later as the media moves past it but that doesn't mean it isn't a good film or important at the time.
So it is here as the film has horrific convincing action and a "death" that must have had the audience on the edge of its seat only to provide the relief in a comic aside right at the end. It is a clever combination and is a good example of special effects coming into the media.
Not all that great but good for the time period
Tornado_Sam3 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This black comedy from Robert Paul is good for its time, and must have been quite a laugh when first released. Looking back at it over 110 years later, however, it's nothing particularly funny or well-executed. Paul was the king of comedy and made many one-gag films, but none of them are actually very funny (except for the hilarious "A Chess Dispute") when seen today. I'm not expecting to be laughing of course, but watching this now it just doesn't feel particularly great.
This comedy is focused on a single gag in which a man is run over by a cab, to the horror of his wife. I won't give away what happens next because you still may want to see it. It's mildly entertaining though the effects included can be easily spotted when viewed today.
This comedy is focused on a single gag in which a man is run over by a cab, to the horror of his wife. I won't give away what happens next because you still may want to see it. It's mildly entertaining though the effects included can be easily spotted when viewed today.
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