Pathé Rural was targeted at audiences in small towns, hence the name. It was designed to be inexpensive. Two strips of 17.5 mm film could be obtained by splitting one 35 mm film. The narrower gauge allowed the use of thinner film, which meant more film on the same size reel. It also allowed the use of cellulose acetate safety film, important for educational and home use.

Its competitor was 16 mm, heavily promoted by Kodak and Agfa as a global standard. 17.5 mm was essentially a French format. Pathé finally lost the standards war and agreed to adopt 16 mm in 1934. There were still projectors and films extant, however, and Pathé Rural continued in use until the German occupation of France, at which point it was forbidden.