GOTTA SEE IT # 14 - "MR. HULOT'S HOLIDAY"
“MR. HULOT’S HOLIDAY”
Starring: Jacques Tati, Nathalie Pascaud, Micheline Rolla, Valentine Camax, Louis Perrault, Andre Dubois, Lucien Fregis, Raymond Carl, Rene Lacourt, Marguerite Gerard.
Written by: Jacques Tati, Henri Marquet, Jacques Lagrange, Pierre Aubert
Directed by: Jacques Tati
B & W – 1954
85 mins.
France
It was a dark, drizzly day in the late ‘80s and I was sick and, consequently, home from school. That was unusual - not spending a day home from school, but being sick while doing it. The week before, I had driven my father’s Oldsmobile from one end of Toronto to the other, and finally found a video store that carried a certain "comedy classic." I quickly learned to be suspicious of any hype surrounding films that had long ago flickered out the last frames of their original theatrical run. Those suspicions split, and split fast, as I sat, in stuffy-nosed awe, gleefully enjoying one playfully elaborate comedic moment after another. Though devoid of plot, Mr. Hulot’s Holiday is a treat. As treats go, it’s the healthy kind. It’s more carrot then candy. In other words, it’s the kind of treat you feel better for having consumed.
Owing its’ spirit and structure to the silent film comedies of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, MHH was, in its’ time, already past its’ due date. So, it’s old fashioned, but not entirely derivative. It tips its’ hat to the old masters while proving itself worthy of its’ own unique place in the history of slapstick comedies. It is graceful, witty, beautifully and artfully shot and scored and even has a point of view that informs the greater bulk of the gags.
The story? Well, there isn’t much of one other than to say that there’s this odd fellow named Monsieur Hulot and his free spirited ways clash with the uptight folks vacationing at a resort somewhere on the coast of France. And that’s all the story you’re going to need - trust me on this one. The man playing Hulot, by the way, is Jacques Tati. He was a master pantomime artist and creator of slowly evolving, cleverly constructed gags. There are several stand-out set pieces. One gag, involving Tati looking for a ping pong ball in amongst a group of card players, is a thing of beauty. Another, where Tati’s rickety car breaks down near a cemetery, features a brilliant transposition that he pulls off with effortless ease.
If you, like I, were raised on crass comedies where most sight gags involved one guy’s foot and another guy’s crotch, then you’ll probably be a bit mystified by the amount of attention and respect Tati brings to physical/visual comedy. I mean, the guy turns it into frickin’ ballet! You also might find the leisurely pace of MHH a problem. Instead of blindly racing from one cheap gag to the next in hopes that something sticks, Tati takes his sweet time – clearly confident in his abilities and clearly delighting in not only a bona fide gag sequence, but subtle, amusing observations as well.
Tati would go on to make only a few more films, but, with this, his first “Hulot” feature, he cemented his reputation as one of cinema’s truly unique artists.
Starring: Jacques Tati, Nathalie Pascaud, Micheline Rolla, Valentine Camax, Louis Perrault, Andre Dubois, Lucien Fregis, Raymond Carl, Rene Lacourt, Marguerite Gerard.
Written by: Jacques Tati, Henri Marquet, Jacques Lagrange, Pierre Aubert
Directed by: Jacques Tati
B & W – 1954
85 mins.
France
It was a dark, drizzly day in the late ‘80s and I was sick and, consequently, home from school. That was unusual - not spending a day home from school, but being sick while doing it. The week before, I had driven my father’s Oldsmobile from one end of Toronto to the other, and finally found a video store that carried a certain "comedy classic." I quickly learned to be suspicious of any hype surrounding films that had long ago flickered out the last frames of their original theatrical run. Those suspicions split, and split fast, as I sat, in stuffy-nosed awe, gleefully enjoying one playfully elaborate comedic moment after another. Though devoid of plot, Mr. Hulot’s Holiday is a treat. As treats go, it’s the healthy kind. It’s more carrot then candy. In other words, it’s the kind of treat you feel better for having consumed.
Owing its’ spirit and structure to the silent film comedies of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, MHH was, in its’ time, already past its’ due date. So, it’s old fashioned, but not entirely derivative. It tips its’ hat to the old masters while proving itself worthy of its’ own unique place in the history of slapstick comedies. It is graceful, witty, beautifully and artfully shot and scored and even has a point of view that informs the greater bulk of the gags.
The story? Well, there isn’t much of one other than to say that there’s this odd fellow named Monsieur Hulot and his free spirited ways clash with the uptight folks vacationing at a resort somewhere on the coast of France. And that’s all the story you’re going to need - trust me on this one. The man playing Hulot, by the way, is Jacques Tati. He was a master pantomime artist and creator of slowly evolving, cleverly constructed gags. There are several stand-out set pieces. One gag, involving Tati looking for a ping pong ball in amongst a group of card players, is a thing of beauty. Another, where Tati’s rickety car breaks down near a cemetery, features a brilliant transposition that he pulls off with effortless ease.
If you, like I, were raised on crass comedies where most sight gags involved one guy’s foot and another guy’s crotch, then you’ll probably be a bit mystified by the amount of attention and respect Tati brings to physical/visual comedy. I mean, the guy turns it into frickin’ ballet! You also might find the leisurely pace of MHH a problem. Instead of blindly racing from one cheap gag to the next in hopes that something sticks, Tati takes his sweet time – clearly confident in his abilities and clearly delighting in not only a bona fide gag sequence, but subtle, amusing observations as well.
Tati would go on to make only a few more films, but, with this, his first “Hulot” feature, he cemented his reputation as one of cinema’s truly unique artists.
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