Paris Qui Dort (1925)

Recommended

France

Short Film

Original Title: Paris qui dort

Writer/Director: René Clair

Cinematographers: Maurice Desfassiaux, Paul Guichard

Cast: Henri Rollan, Charles Martinelli, Louis Pré Fils, Albert Préjean, Madeleine Rodrigue, Myla Seller, Antoine Stacquet, Marcel Vallée

The caretaker of The Eiffel Tower wakes one morning to discover that the entire population of Paris has fallen asleep (some mid-action), and sets off in search of answers, bumping into a group of similarly perplexed people who have just alighted from a plane; together, they attempt to find ways to mine the situation (and maybe remedy it, if they find the time), in this entertaining and influential piece of science fiction, which doesn’t quite make the most of its satirical potential. Iain.Stott