Trojan Car Advert
- York
- 1926
Mr Mercury's statue comes to life to give us a start in this cinema ad for National Benzole Mixture - the nectar of the gods.
Greek statues come to life to enjoy their Bank Holiday, with aid of National Benzole petrol. Mr Mercury, whose head was the brand logo, solves the transport problems of people across the UK, showing that 'when a Greek God gets going, he makes quite a breeze'.
A short promotional film for National Benzole Mixture with a talkative
voiceover.
When a museum closes for a bank holiday weekend the statues of the Gods step
down from their pedastals and relax. Jupiter asks Mercury to join them for a
game of bridge, but Mercury says he must go and help bring speed to the world.
In disguise he brings a message of employment and a gas and coke works to an
unemployed man; he helps a couple get to town when they are short of fuel; he
helps a woman start her engine when he battery is flat. The woman and the
couple go to the garage looking for "Mr Quicksilver" to thank him. The garage
attendant shows them the National Benzole logo with a picture of Mercury,
which is credited with all three good tasks. "Fill up with National Benzole
Mixture. The home-produced British Benzole motor spirit".
Throughout the 20th century, screen advertising helped transform the car from luxury conveyance for the wealthy to essential commodity, 'hand-built by robots'. It saw out the last days of steam, and made 'the age of the train'. And it presented travel - at home or abroad - as a route to a better life.