Jacques Tati

Les Rois de la comédie

At the end of the 1950s, four humor specialists simultaneously experienced recognition. Fernandel with “The Cow and the Prisoner”, Bourvil with “The Hunchback”, Jacques Tati with “My Uncle” and Louis de Funès with “Oscar” at the theater. On the big screen or on stage, each of these artists has a unique style of humor. They are the kings of French comedy. But how did they manage to become true box office champions? How did they experience their immense popularity? How do they still influence the comedy genre? And above all, are- are they funny in life? Where is the line between their character in the cinema and their real personality?

Jacques Tati, tombé de la lune

The crazy rise and fall of Jacques Tati, comedy genius, actor, director and athlete of laughter. Or how the inventor of the mythical Mr. Hulot made France laugh, then the world, flying from success to success, rising higher and higher, until he came a little too close to the sun.

The Sparks Brothers

Take a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers Ron & Russell Mael, celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks: your favorite band’s favorite band.

Tati Express

Tati Express dives into Jacques Tati's films and how they look at a changing world throughout the 20th century. It shows how modernity impacts human-beings and goes through that amazing body of work at 100 mph.

À l'américaine

Documentary analysis of French director Jacques Tati's 1949 film "Jour de fete". Goudet tracks the evolution of Tati’s comedy stylings, from their origins in the short films where he first appeared through his ambitious feature productions.

In the Ring

In this 2013 visual essay, Jacques Tati scholar Stéphane Goudet discusses how the filmmaker’s appreciation for the circus, clowns, and mime humor is reflected in PARADE, and analyzes the film’s various comedic acts.

Like Home

A 2013 Visual Essay on Playtime by Stéphane Goudet.

The Illusionist

A French illusionist travels to Scotland to work. He meets a young woman in a small village. Their ensuing adventure in Edinburgh changes both their lives forever.

The Magnificent Tati

This documentary traces Jacques Tati's rise from the Parisian Music-Hall stage to his Oscar winning films of the 1950s, the documentary then explains how Tati bet all he had on his fourth film 'PlayTime' and how this mammoth film ended prematurely the career of a genius while also giving the world one of the most beautiful films ever made.

Il était une fois... « Mon Oncle »

Television documentary about the making of Jacques Tati's 1958 film "Mon oncle".

Beyond 'PlayTime'

This short documentary from 2002, written by Jacques Tati scholar Stéphane Goudet and featuring rare archival footage, explores the genesis of the director’s hugely ambitious 1967 film production.

Tati Story

This is a brief bio of the life of Tati through his works. Begins with his silent period, then feature films, and shows many examples from the short films on this disc. For someone with such a limited output of work, his reach and genius was limitless.

In the Footsteps of Monsieur Hulot

Two-part documentary about French director Jacques Tati chronicles the evolution of the filmmaker's alter ego, Monsieur Hulot, through archival interviews, on-set footage, photos, and film clips.

Jour de fête: In Search of the Lost Color

Episode of the French television series "Cinéma Cinémas" which documents the discovery of the negatives that led to the completion of the color version of Jacques Tati’s 1949 film "Jour de fête".

Ciné regards: Jacques Tati

Interview with the French film director, conducted for television in 1978.

Monsieur Hulot's Work

Interview with French director Jacques Tati, focusing on his on-screen persona, Monsieur Hulot. Produced for the British television series "Omnibus".

Parade

For his final film, Jacques Tati takes his camera to the circus, where the director himself serves as master of ceremonies. Though it features many spectacles, including clowns, jugglers, acrobats, contortionists, and more, Parade also focuses on the spectators, making this stripped-down work a testament to the communion between audience and entertainment.

Trafic

Mr. Hulot is the head designer of the Altra Automotive Co. His latest invention is a newfangled camper car loaded with outrageous extra features. Along with the company's manager and publicity model, Hulot sets out from Paris with the intention of debuting the car at the annual auto show in Amsterdam. The going isn't easy, however, and the group encounters an increasingly bizarre series of hurdles and setbacks en route.

PlayTime

Clumsy Monsieur Hulot finds himself perplexed by the intimidating complexity of a gadget-filled Paris. He attempts to meet with a business contact but soon becomes lost. His roundabout journey parallels that of an American tourist, and as they weave through the inventive urban environment, they intermittently meet, developing an interest in one another. They eventually get together at a chaotic restaurant, along with several other quirky characters.

Evening Classes

Jacques Tati teaches an acting class about the subtleties of certain types of people to a group of eager (but not very talented) students.

Tativille

Interview with Jacques Tati on the set of his 1967 film "PlayTime". Produced for the British television program "Tempo International".

Mon Oncle

Genial, bumbling Monsieur Hulot loves his top-floor apartment in a grimy corner of the city, and cannot fathom why his sister's family has moved to the suburbs. Their house is an ultra-modern nightmare, which Hulot only visits for the sake of stealing away his rambunctious young nephew. Hulot's sister, however, wants to win him over to her new way of life, and conspires to set him up with a wife and job.

Monsieur Hulot's Holiday

Monsieur Hulot, Jacques Tati’s endearing clown, takes a holiday at a seaside resort, where his presence provokes one catastrophe after another. Tati’s masterpiece of gentle slapstick is a series of effortlessly well-choreographed sight gags involving dogs, boats, and firecrackers; it was the first entry in the Hulot series and the film that launched its maker to international stardom.

Jour de Fête

Jour de Fête tells the story of an inept and easily-distracted French mailman who frequently interrupts his duties to converse with the local inhabitants, as well as inspect the traveling fair that has come to his small community. Influenced by too much wine and a newsreel account of rapid transportation methods used by the United States postal system, he goes to hilarious lengths to speed the delivery of mail while aboard his bicycle.

Devil in the Flesh

In France during World War I, Marthe waits for her husband, Jacques, while he fights on the front lines. Marthe then begins a tempestuous affair with 17-year-old François, with whom she had a dalliance before marrying Jacques. Jealous François struggles with the fact that Marthe is married, while she tries to prove her devotion to her young, hotheaded lover. Things become even more complex when Marthe becomes pregnant with Jacques' baby.

School for Postmen

Jacques Tati plays a French postman adamant to prove he can be just as fast as American postmen at delivering mail.

Sylvia and the Ghost

A teenager becomes fixated on a painting of the handsome suitor who died in a duel for her grandmother's love. On her sixteenth birthday, her father hires three men who pretend to be the ghost of the suitor to entertain her. Little do they know, the ghost of the suitor himself is roaming the castle halls.

Watch Your Left

Roger, son of a farmer, wants to be a boxer, and gets his chance by filling in for a boxer's sparring partner. However, Roger does not know how to box and reads a rule book while in the ring.

Fun Sunday

Jacques Tati and his friend Rhum star as down-and-outs (very much their situation in reality at the time) who try to generate funds by providing an impromptu leisure tour in a rickety bus they wangle use of for free.

Brute Wanted

A tall, shy and reserved young actor accidentally signs himself up for a wrestling match.