Jacques Tati

 Jacques Tati



Jour de Fete (1949)

Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953)




RANKED:


2. Jour de Fete (1949)


Starting his career as a mime, Jacques Tati eventually became world renowned as a filmmaker and visual performer after the second World War. His directorial career had to start somewhere and the 1949 film "Jour de Fete" was indeed that starting point. Centering on a mailman attempting to catch up with the speed of the times, "Jour de Fete" plays on themes involving the changing landscape of French culture and the infiltrating American post-war culture. Surrounding this theme are slapstick and physical comedy that only Tati could deliver. Although his later works would be the forefront of his career, "Jour de Fete" marked the foundational moment for a visual performer and a director who would sweep France and the globe off its feet.





1. Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953)


With his 1953 film "Monsieur Hulot's Holiday," Jacques Tati premiered the iconic character of Monsieur Hulot for the first time in film. He would go on to continue this character in his subsequent films, like 1958's "Mon Oncle" and 1967's "Playtime." Evocative of Charlie Chaplie's Tramp or the characters of Buster Keaton, Monsieur Hulot acts primarily as a visual gag comedian. The film, "Monsieur Hulot's Holiday," centers on Monsieur Hulot taking a vacation to a seaside locale where various wealthy people are vacationing. Through his attempts to assimilate with the beachgoers, Tati reveals the absurdity of human behavior and our contemporary notions about etiquette, status, and what it means to be in 'polite' society.


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