Paris qui dort (1925)
Directed by René Clair

Film Review

Although lacking the maturity and stature of other silent films of the period, Paris qui dort is nonetheless one of the most important films in the history of French cinema.  It is the first film of the great French film director, René Clair, and also - although it was not seen as such at the time - the first ever science-fiction movie.

Although the science-fiction element of the film is pretty naïve by today's standards (apparently, the entire world can be knocked out by changing one coefficient in a quadratic equation...), the film is years ahead of its time in terms of photographic technique and comic performances, and it also manages to make some valid statements about human nature.

The scenes filmed on the Eiffel Tower are both daring and beautifully done, to the extent that the tower becomes an important player in the drama.  At the time, La Tour was seen as a symbol of modernity and optimism, a beacon for future prosperity, whilst echoing France's great cultural heritage, and is hardly surprising that it should be the focus for so many French films.  (The symbolism has continued up to the present day.   Just look how often the Eiffel Tower crops up in films of the New Wave, for instance.)

Whilst the scenes filmed on the Eiffel Tower are easily the best of the film, there are also some interesting shots of Paris and Parisian life in the 1920s.  Most of the film was shot out-of-doors, and we get to see a real biplane coming into land, external shots of some famous monuments before the advent of modern architecture, and a Paris swarming with horse-drawn carriages and classic motorcars (even in the 1920s, Paris was a beehive of active).  As a result, the film is an important historical record as well as a fine example of early 20th century entertainment.

Film Synopsis

Albert, the young keeper of the Eiffel Tower, awakes one morning and is at once struck by how quiet it is.  From his vantage point on the third level of the tower he cannot help noticing that the whole of Paris is at a complete standstill.  Coming down from the tower, Albert's curiosity is further piqued when he sees a total lack of motion at ground level.  Cars and people are completely motionless, all of the clocks are stuck at 9:25.  It is as if time has stopped right across the sprawling metropolis.  The young man's fears that he might be the only person to be unaffected by this bizarre occurrence are allayed when he meets up with a group of five people who have just arrived in the city by aeroplane.  These consist of a pilot, a rich businessman, a policeman, a crook and an adventuress.

Eager to make the most of the situation they find themselves in, Albert and his new friends embark on a day of hedonistic excess, beginning with a visit to a popular night spot.  With the help of the crook, they then set about robbing a bank and raiding the city's most exclusive shops.  Now rich beyond their wildest dreams, they retire to the Eiffel Tower and soon discover that wealth is not all it is cracked up to be.  Bored with their new life, Albert and his friends are on the verge of coming to blows when they suddenly hear a voice on the radio.

The voice is that of a young woman who turns out to be the niece of a maverick scientist who is responsible for the state that Paris now finds itself in.  It seems that the latter has invented a machine that emits a special ray that renders immobile anyone or anything that is caught in it.  Albert's party make their way to the scientist's home and convince him to switch off his infernal creation.  Now that life has returned to normal, Albert's five friends take their leave and Albert can pursue an idyllic love affair with the scientist's niece.  Life on a shoestring does not appeal to the tower keeper and his sweetheart, so they decide to use the scientist's crazy ray for their own advantage...