Reckless driver zooms past cops, defies gravity to Saturn, then gets back in time for court.

The ? Motorist, a whimsical 1906 short by Walter R. Booth, gleefully throws out narrative conventions, instead reveling in the fantastical possibilities of the new medium. A seemingly ordinary car ride takes a wild turn when the motorist, eager to avoid a policeman, speeds up a building and soars into the sky.

Booth utilizes special effects techniques, then in their infancy, to create a sense of wonder. We see the car fly past a smiling moon and zip around the rings of Saturn, all achieved through innovative in-camera manipulations and clever editing. This embrace of the fantastical reflects the era's fascination with emerging technologies, like automobiles and airplanes.

The ? Motorist isn't just a visual spectacle; it's also a sly social commentary. The film pokes fun at authority figures, with the hapless policeman endlessly pursuing the mischievous motorist. This playful subversion of societal norms is a hallmark of early experimental cinema, which often challenged the status quo.

The ? Motorist's lighthearted embrace of the absurd and its use of special effects for pure entertainment helped pave the way for slapstick comedies and other lighthearted cinematic adventures.