”The Cars That Ate Paris” (Terry Camilleri, John Meillon, Kevin Miles;
Peter Weir, dir. RCA, 1974; color. Running time: 91 minutes. Rating: PG. $69.95)
A year before he made his first international splash with ”Picnic at Hanging Rock,” Peter Weir directed a quirky little film called ”The Cars That Ate Paris.” No, not that Paris.
This Paris is a small town in Australia so far out in the Outback that most visitors arrive, literally, by accident.
The newest arrival is Arthur, sole survivor of a crack-up that killed his companions. Released from the local hospital-which, conveniently, specializes in long-term care for accident victims (”veggies, half veggies and quarter veggies”)-Arthur is taken in by the town`s mayor, who tries to turn him into an upstanding, car-loving citizen of Paris.
Though Arthur quickly learns the town`s secret (the whole town lives off car crashes), there`s no escape. Arthur, traumatized by an earlier auto accident, can`t drive.
As those of us who saw it at the Chicago International Film Festival in 1974 later were to learn, ”Cars” was a sign of some very weird things to come from Weir in his very next movie.
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Like ”Picnic at Hanging Rock,” the surrealistic nightmare of ”Cars”
takes place against a pastoral setting of the utmost ordinariness. But unlike ”Picnic,” ”Cars” is a comedy-albeit a very black one.
Now ”Cars” is back, on video. And though other movies starring killer cars have come down the road since, this ”Cars” is still a smashing good time.