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6.7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Chasing Through Europe remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have an hour to kill and want to see what London and Paris looked like right before the 30s hit, Chasing Through Europe is actually a fun little find.
It is definitely for people who like those old "runaway heiress" tropes or anyone who thinks 1920s travel footage is cool.
If you want a deep plot that makes total sense, you should probably skip this and watch Driven instead.
Sue Carol plays Linda Terry, and she has this very high-energy vibe that makes you tired just looking at her.
Her guardian, Phineas Merrill, is played by Gustav von Seyffertitz, who is basically the king of looking like a creepy villain.
The movie starts pretty dark because he wants to force her to marry his nephew or rot in an insane asylum.
But then she meets Dick Stallings, who is a freelance newsreel guy, and the movie suddenly turns into a road trip.
The coolest thing about this movie is how they used real newsreel footage.
Since the main character is a cameraman, they just spliced in real shots of European cities from back then.
It feels like you are watching a 100-year-old YouTube travel vlog, which is honestly better than the actual story.
There is this one shot in London where the fog looks so thick you can almost smell the coal smoke.
And then things get genuinely weird.
Benito Mussolini is in this. Yes, that one.
It’s archival footage, but it’s so jarring to see a real-life dictator pop up in the middle of a lighthearted escape movie.
The editing is a bit messy, like they were rushing to finish it before the lunch break.
One second they are in England, and the next they are halfway across the continent with no transition at all.
Nick Stuart is the hero, Dick, but he’s a bit of a wet blanket compared to Sue Carol.
He mostly just carries a heavy camera around and looks concerned.
I found myself looking at the background more than the actors—the old cars and the way people dressed in 1929 is just fascinating.
It isn't as heavy or polished as something like Der Sträfling von Cayenne, but it doesn't try to be.
There’s a scene where they are hiding from the police and the tension is supposed to be high, but everyone is smiling way too much.
The nephew character is a total loser, which makes it very easy to root for Linda to get away.
Also, their hair stays perfect the entire time they are running for their lives. 💇♀️
The ending feels like the writers just gave up and decided to stop filming.
It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a neat little time capsule if you don't take it too seriously. 🎬
IMDb 6
1929
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