The Cars That Ate Paris

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'Cars' or 'Cars That Eat People'')

directed by Peter Weir
Australia 1974

First off, Peter Weir is a director that I really enjoy. I loved Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Last Wave and Fearless. I was both keen and apprehensive to view The Cars That Ate Paris from early in his directorial career. In Paris - a small Australian outback town, the residents strive to keep the town economically viable by causing road wrecks of visitors who pass through. Draped in black humor, some of these unfortunate visitors turn into traffic fatalities. Enjoyable parts of the film are the cast of eccentric characters. It is still quite obvious to see Weir's blossoming style with a strong focus on visual elements. With an underlying theme of how automobiles have risen to such an unusual cultural status in society The Cars That Ate Paris has an uneven plot mix that seems to work on a very deceptive level. This film is definitely not for everyone, but film fans are surely to acquire something unique from this unforgettable film.

out of

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Theatrical Release: February 4th, 1974 - Melbourne

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DVD Comparison:

HomeVision (also has "The Plumber") - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Gaumont Boxset (France) CTHV - Region 2 -PAL

(HomeVision - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. Gaumont Boxset (France) CTHV - Region 2 -PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Home Vision Region 1 - NTSC	Gaumont - Columbia Tri-Star HV Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:27:27	1:23;29 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	2.27:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 4.84 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	2.32:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.95 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: HomeVision
Bitrate: Gaumont
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Dolby)	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Dolby), DUB: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Dolby)
Subtitles	English, None	French, and none
Features	Release Information: Studio: HomeVision Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2:27:1 Edition Details: • Bonus Feature is "The Plumber" New digital transfer approved by the director Peter Weir • Interviews with Peter Wier on The Cars That Ate Paris (11:15) and The Plumber (7:38) • Trailers for both films • 2 - page each liner Notes essay for both films DVD Release Date: October 21st, 2003 Keep Case Chapters 19	Release Information: Studio: Gaumont -CTHV Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.32:1 Edition Details: • Boxset includes 3 other Peter Weir films on separate DVDs - Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Last Wave, The Plumber • The Two-Wheeled Time Machine (21:35) • Trailer (3:26) • 2 Filmographies of director + producer (moving text screens) DVD Release Date: March 10th, 2004 2 Double Keep Cases inside Box Chapters: 12

Comments:

Skin tones again are slightly redder on the Region 2 release. The HomeVision DVD is cropped on both sides very minimally. Ratios are slightly different (2.27 vs. 2.32) but I can't determine who is right (unless it is just the cropping). HomeVision may have a slight edge in sharpness but the image has a slight greenish haze over it - but it is unnoticeable unless directly compared.

What is comes down to again are the extras. The HomeVision has the Weir interview (and The Plumber) while the Gaumont has the rest of the inferior Boxset and on this DVD they show a short by David Lowe called "The Two-Wheeled Time Machine". I don't understand the significance, but okay. This film shouldn't be the maker-breaker for upgrading to the Weir Boxset, which frankly I regret getting. The Criterions and HomeVision (parent company) are all just a notch better. What is a kind of keen feature on the Region 2 "The Plumber" is the "Peter Weir Seminar' - almost 40 minutes of the director talking about film - marvelous. Other than that stick with HomeVision.

- Gary W. Tooze

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(HomeVision - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. Gaumont Boxset (France) CTHV - Region 2 -PAL - RIGHT)