The Cars That Ate Paris (1974)

The small town of Paris, Australia deliberately causes car accidents, then sells/salvages all valuables from the wrecks as a means of economy.

Director:

Peter Weir

Writers:

Peter Weir (screenplay), Peter Weir (story)

Stars:

Terry Camilleri, John Meillon, Kevin Miles

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Meillon	...	The Mayor
Terry Camilleri	...	Arthur Waldo
Kevin Miles	...	Dr. Midland
Rick Scully	...	George Waldo
Max Gillies	...	Metcalfe
Danny Adcock	...	Policeman
Bruce Spence	...	Charlie
Kevin Golsby	...	Insurance man
Chris Haywood	...	Darryl
Peter Armstrong	...	Gorman
Joe Burrow	...	Ganger
Deryck Barnes	...	Al Smedley
Edward Howell	...	Tringham
Max Phipps	...	Mulray
Melissa Jaffer	...	Beth

Storyline

A small town in rural Australia (Paris) makes its living by causing car accidents and salvaging any valuables from the wrecks. Into this town come brothers Arthur and George. George is killed when the Parisians cause their car to crash, but Arthur survives and is brought into the community as an orderly at the hospital. But Paris is not problem free. Not only do the Parisians have to be careful of outsiders (such as insurance investigators), but they also have to cope with the young people of the town who are dissatisfied with the status quo.

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Plot Keywords:

crash | science fiction | supernatural | driving | night driving | 

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Taglines:

They run on blood.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 June 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Cars That Ate Paris

Filming Locations:

Sofala, New South Wales, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Royce Smeal Film Productions,Salt-Pan,The Australian Film Development Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min 74 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First film that director Peter Weir made with both Hal McElroy and Jim McElroy, producers. The others were Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) and The Last Wave (1977). Weir also collaborated with Jim on The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) which was also a McElroy & McElroy production though Hal was not individually credited.

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Goofs

The people thrown from the car in the first accident are obvious dummies.

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Quotes

Arthur Waldo: I can drive!

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Connections

Spoofs The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

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Soundtracks

Rock of Ages
(uncredited)
Lyrics by Augustus Montague Toplady and music by Thomas Hastings
Played at the church

User Reviews

Sublimely weird horror comedy

A camp horror classic and Weir's feature debut. It's smart, gross, cheeky, macabre and just great.

Don't watch it if you think low budget is the same as being 'amateurish' because it's not. And if you're not used to Australian English, well, try not to panic. Doesn't matter if you don't get every word - just go with it!

This is the kind of film you don't see much any more, perhaps a product of its era. They weren't thinking much about marketing or target demographics - these filmmakers were just having a lot of fun, experimenting and coming up with something unique. Genre crossing, challenging and freaky, it also taps into some big themes about Australian identity and paranoia.