Apparently found only recently, this comedy, one of over 300 films made by Melies that are still missing, is not one of his best. There's not that much trick photography involved here. The story involves a group of people on a streetcar who grow increasingly disturbed by a noxious smell in their carriage. One gentleman, who might in fact be Melies, accuses a baby in the arms of the woman next to him, but eventually a plump old lady is found to be the culprit and forcibly removed. Only after she has been manhandled off the carriage do the other passengers realise the smell has remained, and further investigation reveals the source to be a variety of cheeses in the old lady's bag that come to life when they're discovered.
The film's biggest problem is that, even though it is only about five minutes long, it takes too long to tell it's story, and isn't really that funny. You've got to wonder what Melies was on when he came up with some of these off the wall ideas, though
The film's biggest problem is that, even though it is only about five minutes long, it takes too long to tell it's story, and isn't really that funny. You've got to wonder what Melies was on when he came up with some of these off the wall ideas, though
