Paris qui dort (1925)

Director:

René Clair

Writer:

René Clair (writer)

Release Date:

1927 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A scientist's invisible ray freezes Paris into immobility.

Plot Keywords:

Ray | Invisible | Frozen Time | Frozen | Race Against Time

Cast

Henri Rollan	...	Albert
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Martinelli	...	The scientist ) (as Martinelli (I)
Louis Pré Fils
Albert Préjean	...	The pilot
Madeleine Rodrigue	...	Hesta, the airline passenger
Myla Seller	...	The niece / daughter of the scientist
Antoine Stacquet	...	The rich man (as Stacquet)
Marcel Vallée

Also Known As:

At 3:25 (USA)
Le rayon de la mort (France) (alternative title)
Le rayon invisible (France) (working title)
Paris Asleep (International: English title)
The Crazy Ray (International: English title)
París que duerme (Spain) [es]
Parigi che dorme (Italy) [it]
Paris Que Dorme (Portugal) [pt]
Parisines nyhtes (Greece) [el]
Paryz spi (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

USA:18 min (DVD version) | USA:35 min

Country:

France

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Films Diamant

Trivia:

This film is featured on the Criterion Collection DVD for Sous les toits de Paris (1930).

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Fejezetek a film történetéböl: Az európai film kezdetei (#1.2)" (1989)

A foundation for contemporary films

It's always nice to watch various films from a relatively long time ago in order to get a grasp of what set the standards for the discourses of today. "Paris qui dort" is a science fiction short which establishes several motifs of today's science fiction fancy.

Paris sleeps. People who were high above the ground, either in the Eiffel Tower or in an airplane come down to find a city almost frozen in time. Water, machines, regular things move, it's just that all the people are asleep. The characters then get to live their wildest dreams of freedom and riches until it just starts to not work out for them.

Some images, such as the initial main character's approach to a fountain, are immediately recognized as used in 28 Days Later... The sleeping people are often set in the same sort of not-quite-frozen, not-quite animated set-up that's later used in Dark City. It's interesting to see such images become inspiration for entire other works we recognize today.

Unfortunately, the short itself hardly feels able to stand on its own anymore. The initial shot of a static Paris has cars moving at the edge of the frame. The characters' own boredom unfortunately connects well with the modern audiences own. However, it's still creative and interesting enough to be worthy of recognition and to be respected for what it's done.

--PolarisDiB