Explosion of a Motor Car
A hapless copper is left to pick up the pieces after a gruesome collision of early trick cinema and cartoonish comedy
Many Victorians were very wary of the dangers of new "horseless carriages" and Cecil Hepworth's grisly comedy won't have put their fears to rest. A wonky "dog cart" contraption standing in for a car pootles down a suburban road before suddenly combusting. After a prolonged delay, the car and the passengers fall to earth - broken into their constituent parts. A passing policeman, played by Hepworth himself, calmly takes stock of the strewn limbs.
This topical comedy was Hepworth's biggest hit to date, bringing lots of attention to his relatively new Hepwix firm. He described it as "an epoch in my film life" and its success encouraged him to build a studio and shoot more comic subjects. This detour away from actuality themes would lead eventually to his celebrated experiments with cinema narratives as he learned how to tell more complex stories through film.
Tags
Victorian Entertainment
"We are not amused", said Queen Victoria - or so we're told. Her subjects, though, were eager for all manner of entertainments.
The first films made their homes in the fairground and the music hall, and the first filmmakers - a number of them originally showmen or magic lanternists - were more than happy to supply the laughs, the drama and the thrills that audiences demanded.
Comic skits, sight gags and dramatic scenes were hugely popular. They may have been overwhelmingly outnumbered by non-fiction subjects, but it was these entertainment films that inspired early filmmakers to many of their greatest innovations, from 'facials' (the first close-ups) to 'tricks', the inventive prototype for modern special effects. And we can see traces among these films of themes, ideas and approaches that would fuel British filmmakers for generations to come.
113 videos in this collection
1
2
The Magic Extinguisher
3
Scrooge; Or, Marley's Ghost
4
Grandma's Reading Glass
5
Undressing Extraordinary; Or, The Troubles of a Tired Traveller
6
Are You There?
7
The Magic Sword A Mediaeval Mystery
8
Upside Down; Or, The Human Flies
9
As Seen through a Telescope
10
The Death of Poor Joe
11
The X Rays
12
How It Feels to Be Run Over
13
Comic Faces - Old Man Drinking a Glass of Beer
14
Explosion of a Motor Car
15
Artistic Creation
16
The Miller and the Sweep
17
King John
18
Herbert Campbell As Little Bobby
19
Clown and Police
20
Santa Claus
21
Grandma Threading Her Needle
22
Children in the Nursery
23
A Quick Shave and Brush-up
24
Come Along, Do!
25
A Railway Collision
26
Catching the Milk Thief
27
A Photograph Taken from Our Area Window
28
Woman Undressing
29
Robbery
30
The Biter Bit
31
Stop Thief!
32
Mister Moon
33
The Bathers
34
The Burning Stable
35
Footpads
36
The Haunted Curiosity Shop
37
The Child, Dog and Pram
38
Answering a Call
39
The House That Jack Built
40
Hanging out the Clothes; Or, Master, Mistress and Maid
41
Two Old Sports
42
Lady and Puppies
43
Lady and the Boat
44
Tommy Atkins in the Park
45
Lettie Limelight in Her Lair
46
Scandal over the Teacups
47
Soda Syphon Joke
48
Winning the V.C.
49
The Dull Razor
50
Man in Bedroom
51
The Beggar's Deceit
52
The Kissing Couple
53
Three Linotype Machines
54
The Sports and Nations' Dance, Grand Finale and Curtain, On Open Air Stage at Crystal Palace
55
Lover Kisses Husband
56
A Prize Fight or Glove Fight between John Bull and President Kruger
57
The Puzzled Bather and His Animated Clothes
58
Shelling the Red Cross
59
The Deonzo Brothers
60
The Lassie and Her Dog
61
Policeman in Schoolroom
62
Attack on a China Mission - Bluejackets to the Rescue
63
The Bill Poster
64
The Bride's First Night
65
The Dispatch Bearer
66
Two A.M.; Or, The Husband's Return
67
The Artist's Model
68
The Would-be Conjuror
69
The Kiss in the Tunnel
70
Man by Bed
71
Arrest of Goudie (1901)
72
Two Laughing Men
73
First X-ray Cinematograph Film Ever Taken, Shown by Dr. Macintyre at the London Royal Society 1897
74
Will Evans, The Musical Eccentric
75
The Countryman and the Cinematograph
76
Fire!
77
Weary Willie
78
Kitty Mahone
79
Mr Moon (1901)
80
Two Wrestlers
81
The Old Maid's Valentine
82
Woman, Dog and Pups
83
Afternoon Tea al Fresco
84
Beheading a Chinese Boxer
85
Aunt Selina - Takes Snuff, Sews and Plays with Her Cats
86
Attack on a Mission Station
87
Collapsing Bed Scene
88
Black Face Pierrots
89
The Twins' Tea Party
90
His Brave Defender
91
Gentleman Fishing
92
Has He Hit Me?
93
The Indian Chief and the Seidlitz Powder
94
Kidnapping by Indians (1899)
95
Long Night Dance
96
Policeman Beaten
97
A Morning Wash (1900)
98
Policeman and Burglar
99
The Postman and the Nursemaid
100
The Tramp and the Baby's Bottle
101
Snowballs (1901)
102
Sporting Colliers and the Bobby (c.1901)
103
The Unfaithful Wife (c.1900)
104
The Waif and the Wizard; or, The Home Made Happy
105
Comic Costume Race
106
Let Me Dream Again
107
The Spirit of His Forefathers
108
A Morning Wash
109
How We Filmed in the Nineties
110
Pathe Pictorial No. 624
111
Nurses Attending the Wounded
112
Tom Merry, Lightning Cartoonist, Sketching Kaiser Wilhelm II
113