I just saw “Mon Oncle” for the first time. Mr. Pug had been raving about this movie for years, but his description of it did not tempt me to watch it before now. I could not find it to rent on DVD, and so bought a copy through Amazon.
Wow! Jacque Tati was a genius. This film reminded me of the best parts of a Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton film. This comparison is frequently made because dialogue is not important in the movie; rather, Tati’s talent lies in gags and scenes. “Mon Oncle” comments hilariously on modern technology and how it controls us and complicates our lives. I wonder how Tati would have dealt with the Internet? In addition, the film shows us a contrast, touchingly drawn, between modern, space-age Paris and a run-down, traditional suburb of Paris. I know which area I would like to go to, like a shot.
Now I’ll have to see his other films. Can anyone review “Playtime” or “Traffic”?
It’s great to see other Jacques Tati fans around. Puglvr is right, * Les Vacances de monsieur Hulot* is a great movie, sweetly nostalgic and funny : seldom laugh-out-loud funny, but it keeps a smile on your face. Moreover, it’s definitely one of those movies that you can own, and view over and over. Mon Oncle and * Les Vacances de monsieur Hulot*are his best, I think. I would see those first. Playtime and Trafic are also good, but not quite as memorable.
Dont’ forget Playtime, my favourite Tati flick. I love his oblique approach to comedy. As M. Hulot meanders, so do Tati’s movies. Occasionally, sight gags will appear in the corner of a frame and Tati allows the viewer to discover them on his own. Just as often the scene will drift away without a definitive punchline. By not always providing a resolution he actually builds comic tension that he can exploit in the next scene.
Also, as you would expect from a mime and vaudeville performer, the dialogue in his movies is merely incidental. Yet, sound plays a very important role in his humour, e.g., the burbling car or bonging glass door of Mr. Hulot’s Holiday, the odd beeps and clangs of the modern house in Mon Oncle.
In Playtime he combines these techniques with a beautiful, stark cinematography that emphasizes an ultra-modern Paris whose famous landmarks are only briefly glimpsed in the reflections of shiny, glass buildings. The final scene of a traffic circle jammed with cars while joyful, carousel music plays on the soundtrack is both comic and poignant. I guess that’s part of what made him such a great director. He was able to make incisive points about the rush to modernization and still be funny.
Big, big warning about Playtime – you need to see it in widescreen, preferably on a theater-sized screen. Otherwise you miss most of it. Tati shot it in 70-mm, and filled up the screen with gags (sometimes four or five running at once). The pan-and-scan version is to be avoided at all costs, and if you don’t have a big TV screen, you’re going to miss out.
That said, it’s one of the greatest comedies ever made. The restaurant scene (which is about half the movie) is absolutely wonderful.
But M. Hulot’s Holiday is very close to it. Tati was a genius in creating gags, and Hulot is one of the great comic creations.
RealityChuck, thank you. I have only seen Playtime on TV, and I found your post very enlightening. I’ll keep an eye open for a Tati film festival (not such an unlikely occurrence in Montreal, where I live). I appreciate the input. You Dopers are really great!
Yuck. With the exception of *Jour de Fete,[/] Tati annoys the hell out of me. It’s like watching Chaplin on Valium. Comedy should not be that irritatingly slow.
If memory serves me correctly, Traffic was my most painful of all the ones listed above.
I should add that M. Hulot’s Holiday, Mon Oncle and Playtime have all received excellent DVD releases from Criterion. All have been wonderfully restored and are presented in the correct aspect ratio. If you can’t find Playtime in a rep. theatre, the DVD is your next best option.
Everyone, thanks for your reviews and opinions. Hodge, Criterion released our DVD, and I agree that it is excellent. When we are ready to see Mr. Hulot Takes A Holiday, we will buy it through them. Our Criterion DVD of Mon Oncle includes a terrific little short, which we overlooked when we first watched the movie, but we saw it last night: “L’Ecole des Facteurs” (The Postmen’s School). Funny, funny little film, and Tati was a good deal younger when it was made. He is shown attending a silly school for bicycling postmen, and then cycling all over the Provencal countryside on his route. Funny things happen as he delivers mail to hapless characters in little villages on the way.
I just wanted to second the opinion about L’ecole des Facteurs. Never, never have I laughed so hard for fifteen minutes. I’m talking laugh out loud, hard-of-breath, rolling on the floor laughter. Do not miss this if you buy or rent the DVD.