How To Stop A Motor Car

How To Stop A Motor Car

 

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[Brendan C. Burchill]

The few British silent films that I have seen from the 1890s to the end of the first decade of the twentieth century impress me. "How to Stop a Motor Car" impresses me as well. It is a very cleverly made film that pokes fun at reckless drivers and the law enforcement officials and pedestrians that try to reign them in.

The film demonstrates many traits that are typical of early British cinema. For instance, there is the two part structure, consisting of two shots joined by a cut. There is the use of action staged in such a way that people and machines move toward and past the camera at an angle. There is also the assured use of outdoor settings to stage trick subjects.

On a more sentimental level, "How to Stop a Motor Car" also exhibits the creative use of English suburban and village landscape that is such a common feature among British films produced before World War One. Watching this particular Hepworth production, I had to think of the similar gravel roadways and wooden fences that appear in "Rescued by Rover" and another Hepworth-produced trick film "The Fatal Sneeze."

The final point that I would like to make is that second shot of "How to Stop a Motor Car" seems to include a trick of reverse motion. The technique seems to be used to show the car stopping suddenly, then bouncing backward onto the edge of the road. I suppose that this effect was acheived through some kind of reverse motion trick. If so, it is one of earliest uses of reverse motion that I have ever seen in a film.

"How to Stop a Motor Car" might appeal to enthusiasts of early British cinema and of the trick film genre in general. Enthusiasts of slapstick comedy and early automobiles might find the worth watching as well.