ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Motompa Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

JohnnyLee1 Query: Why are some vehicles Right-Hand-Drive? Even imported cars should be converted. Great comedy moment: M. Hulot's sportscar is so small that he can reach across to sound the horn situated outside on a spare tyre on the opposite side of the steering wheel!

gavin6942 Monsieur Hulot (Jacques Tati) comes to a beachside hotel for a vacation, where he accidentally (but good-naturedly) causes havoc.The film affectionately lampoons several hidebound elements of French political and economic classes, from chubby capitalists and self-important Marxist intellectuals to petty proprietors and drab dilettantes, most of whom find it nearly impossible to free themselves, even temporarily, from their rigid social roles in order to relax and enjoy life. Is this, in some small way, a precursor to "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie"? On its release in the United States, Bosley Crowther's review said that the film contained "much the same visual satire that we used to get in the 'silent' days from the pictures of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and such as those." Crowther is quite right, and it would be no surprise if Tati used these earlier comedians as his template. His previous film, "Jour de Fete", had all the earmarks of a silent comedy.

Neil Doyle This is the kind of film that is either your cup of tea, or decidedly not as funny as it's supposed to be. It's really a series of visual mishaps, all done in sight gag style that becomes a bit tedious or worn out after awhile. I'm evidently in the minority on this film, but I find it extremely overrated as a satire of the French on holiday.Tati as a bumbling Frenchman interacting with other guests at a seaside resort could have made a fine comedy since the premise is really a good one. However, none of the other characters have much to say or do after their first few scenes, the pace is very slow, the gags fall into the not-so-funny category, and it's more like watching a silent film with a string of gags rather than a coherent satire of a quirky man causing havoc.That's only my opinion. At no time did I do more than smile and wait for the next gag. In other words, it's outlandish qualities did no more than stir a chuckle or two. It's a film I could visit once and never see again.Summing up: Not worth the view. It's a one joke movie that wears out its welcome rather quickly.

Ilpo Hirvonen Jacques Tati made a few short films in the 1930-40's, but in 1949 made his first full-length feature film, Jour de fete. Despite the wishes of his producer, Tati decided to leave his Francais the mailman character behind and developed a new character, Monsieur Hulot. He had no idea how much attention the film would get and therefore wasn't going to continue making films around this character. Well we all know this didn't happen, after Mr. Hulot's Holiday Jacques Tati still made four other 'Hulot' films. Mr. Hulot's Holiday ironically described mass tourism and it's a great example of Tati's satire, which exudes intelligence.The story takes place in a holiday resort in a small French seaside town. The guests in the hotel are normal; businessmen, elderly couples, young people, all sorts of people. They all act as people usually act on a vacation; they play bridge, try new activities, read, eat and relax. But then Mr. Hulot arrives, who very hardly tries to do these things considered to be normal, but fails miserably.Jacques Tati's first full-length film, Jour de fete (1949) was a tribute to the burlesque genre and his other films can be described with that word too. But one must realize that his films certainly aren't ordinary compared to other burlesque comedies by Chaplin, Lloyd, Marx bros or Keaton. He completely rejects the traditional formula of it; the two main characters don't marry each other in the end, the dialog doesn't make sense and there is no direct plot for the viewer to follow. But this certainly doesn't mean Tati and for instance Chaplin wouldn't have anything in common, they have a lot of in common. Just as Chaplin so doesn't Tati care that much about dialog; it mostly just expressed the difficulties of communication. Just as Chaplin so did Tati have an own standard character - both the tramp and Mr. Hulot are comical heroes, who make the people around them look ridiculous. Both of the characters that Dostoyevsky's Idiot has: they're individuals who seem like idiots to others, but like geniuses to others. As did Dostoyevsky so did Jacques Tati portray a world where a sanatorium is the only place for a saintJacques Tati plans his gags for years. Many film historians, researchers and critics have written several studies about them. I'd like to point out the opening scene of Mr. Hulot's Holiday, which has often been praised as one of the most brilliant scenes made in the history of cinema: We see a boat and waves hitting it - a peaceful beach. Then Jacques Tati suddenly takes us to a railway station where people try to catch the right train. We hear absurd announcements and see the tourists floating from one platform to another. This violent contrast of course, makes us think about the connection between them; the people are coming to destroy the peace of the beach, they're coming to turn it to a hectic place just like the railway station. But this contrast is also very poetic; if one pays attention one will notice that the waves float exactly in the same way the tourists float from one platform to another. The people always come in the same order to the platform and this refers to the mechanization of life. In Jacques Tati's films he often puts dialog in an absurd place: in the opening scene the people try and try to listen what the announcements are saying, but end up running insanely back and forth. I think by this Jacques Tati wants to say us that if we try to only follow the words in cinema (in life) we'll end up just like the tourists.The sound world of Jacques Tati is very rich and even that he doesn't 'believe' in dialog, he uses narrative based on sounds a lot. And the relation between the picture and the sound is perfect. His visual gags are geographically perfect and his satire which exudes intelligence is full of hilarious gags about objects and vehicles. In addition to this Jacques Tati has a great talent of observing: just with few short shots he manages to tell us the main points of the situation.Mr. Hulot's Holiday is an ironic description of mass tourism and it elegantly criticizes the destruction of old habitat. It shows us how order and disorder work - this can be seen clearly in the opening scene. Even that Jacques Tati's production is one of the most compact ones he is always seen in the lists of the world's greatest directors. With only four films he managed to create an unforgettable character, Mr. Hulot. I can highly recommend you to watch the other Hulot films as well: Mon oncle, Play Time and last but not least Trafic.