The Cars That Ate Paris (1974)
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.
Credits
Director: Peter Weir
Year of Production: 1973, released in 1974
Duration: 91 mins
Format: 35mm, (1:1,85) Colour
Optical soundtrack: remastered to Dolby SR D
Production Company: Salt-Pan Films/Royce Smeal Film Productions
Producer: Hal McElroy, Jim McElroy
Screenplay: Peter Weir from a story by Peter Weir, Keith Gow, Piers Davies
Director of Photography: John McLean
Camera Operators: Peter James, Richard Wallace, Andrew Fraser
Art Director: David Copping
Editor: Wayne Le Clos
Sound Recordist: Ken Hammond
Composer: Bruce Smeaton
Cast: John Meillon (the mayor, Len Keeley), Terry Camilleri (Arthur), Kevin Miles (Doctor Midland), Rick Scully (George), Max Gillies (Metcalf), Danny Adcock (policemen), Bruce Spence (Charlie), Kevin Goldsby (insurance man), Chris Haywood (Daryl), Peter Armstrong (Gorman), Joe Burrow (Ganger), Edward Howell (Tringham), Max Phipps (Reverend Mulray), Melissa Jaffer (Beth Keeley), Tim Robertson (Les), Herbie Nelson (man in house), Charles Metcalfe (Clive Smedley), Deryck Barnes (Al Smedley)
Location: Filmed at Sofala, NSW.
Tagline: They run on blood.
Release
Independently shown at the Cannes Film festival in May 1974.
Shown at the 21st Sydney Film Festival, 15th June 1974.
Shown at the Melbourne Film Festival, 17th June 1974.
Commercially released at the Australia I Cinema in Melbourne on 10th October 1974.
Opened in Sydney on 19th March 1975.
Screened in London for four weeks in the Rialto cinema in the West End in June 1975.
The Cars That Eat Paris (Cars) was released in the USA in 1977 as The Cars That Eat People.
