Watch How It Feels to Be Run Over

How It Feels to Be Run Over is a silent black-and-white film from the year 1900, directed by British filmmaker Cecil M. Hepworth. The film stars May Clark as a bicyclist who gets hit by a car and dragged under its wheels. Despite its short running time of merely 1 minute, this film made history by being the first-ever narrative film to use a point-of-view shot to create a dramatic effect.

The film opens with a close-up of a camera lens being focused on a spot in the street. The camera then cuts to a wide shot of a busy street where people are walking, cycling, and riding horses. A few seconds later, a woman riding a bicycle enters the frame and rides toward the camera. As she gets closer, a car suddenly appears from the right and hits her. The woman falls from the bicycle and hits the ground, while the car continues to drive forward, dragging her under its wheels. The camera then cuts to a point-of-view shot from under the car, showing the bicyclist's perspective as she is dragged along.

The film's title is obviously ironic, as it is impossible for anyone to know how it feels to be run over by a car. However, the use of the point-of-view shot creates an immersive experience for the audience, allowing them to visualize the helplessness and terror that the victim must have felt.

How It Feels to Be Run Over was one of the first films to use special effects to create a sense of realism. The shot where the bicyclist is dragged under the car was achieved with a combination of close-ups and miniature models, showing the car's wheels moving over a fake body. The film used a combination of stop-motion and reverse-motion techniques to create the illusion of motion and speed, making it a pioneering work in film history.

Hepworth's film faced criticism and controversy upon its release, mainly due to the graphic nature of the scene where the woman is run over. Some reviewers felt that the film was too violent and inappropriate for public viewing, while others praised its technical innovation and storytelling.

Despite its controversial nature, How It Feels to Be Run Over became immensely popular and was screened in theaters across England and Europe. The film's success paved the way for a new era of filmmaking, with Hepworth and his contemporaries experimenting with new techniques to improve the quality and realism of their films.

In conclusion, How It Feels to Be Run Over is a landmark film in the history of cinema, as it pioneered the use of special effects and point-of-view shots to create immersive and dramatic experiences for viewers. The film remains a testimony to the ingenuity and creativity of early filmmakers, who pushed the boundaries of storytelling and visual language to create a new art form that would go on to capture the imaginations of audiences for generations to come.