General

French with English subtitles

Long an enduring cornerstone of international cinema, the onscreen debut of Jacques Tati’s beloved Monsieur Hulot is as much a loving Valentine to the bygone age of silent comedy that preceded it as it is to the Riviera vacations the film gently, lovingly mocks. Tati’s already impeccably steady hand as director (in just his fourth effort) and star (instantly iconic, with trench coat and smoking pipe) created one of cinema’s most enduring characters and marked the start of one of film comedy’s most beloved and original series.

Rarely one to rely solely on laugh-out-loud slapstick set-pieces, Tati hid beneath the surface of MR. HULOT’S HOLIDAY a satirical look at the French middle class, perfectly timed and expertly realized. Over the course of three decades (Tati was never a quick producer, his films separated by years of planning) Hulot’s adventures would take him from HOLIDAY’s coastal bliss to the somewhat more socially critical—and in many ways shockingly experimental—PLAYTIME (1967) and TRAFIC (1971). But here at the saga’s beginning, Tati already had his formula perfectly in place. Start to finish, this is how it feels to smile knowingly for 87 minutes.

MH