Product Description

Pipe-smoking Monsieur Hulot, Jacques Tati's endearing clown, takes a holiday at a seaside resort where his presence provokes one catastrophe after another. Tati's wildly funny satire of vacationers determined to enjoy themselves includes a series of precisely choreographed sight gags involving dogs, boats and firecrackers. The first entry in the Hulot series is a masterpiece of gentle slapstick.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17365 in DVD
• Brand: Image Entertainment
• Released on: 2004-01-06
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 87 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Forefather of Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean, Jacques Tati's Monsieur Hulot--a recurring character in several of his movies--is a blithely clumsy troublemaker, an insouciant twit who leaves uproar in his wake without being aware of it. Trying to describe this 1953 comedy is next to impossible except to say it is a series of vignettes at a vacation resort, with the distracted Hulot providing a lot of laughs. Tati directs, and in a way what that really means is that he composes this movie with a perfect eye and ear for the comic possibilities in everything: composition, lighting, minimal marble-mouth dialogue, certain sounds (a duck call, a door repeatedly opening and shutting). This is a superior work that ranks among all-time classic comedies. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Gentle, unique, sublime
I'm a jaded, blase movie viewer who was completely disarmed by this gentle, sweet, thoroughly entertaining French comedy. Though the film is often described as "slapstick", it is the subtle, sublime comedic touches in the movie that endear me the most. Watch Hulot's stunned expression when he is greeted good morning for the first time in the hotel after having been given the cold shoulder by others. Watch the chef who starts cutting thin slices of meat but decides to cut bigger slices when he sees a more rotund customer walks by. In one scene, Hulot inadventently removes a bookmark from a book that someone is reading; moments later, the reader feverishly flips through the pages to find it. During the scene where the radio plays La Marceillaise, everyone in the room stands up as if to salute; mais non! They are just turning in, ignoring the anthem. Some of these moments could easily be missed or ignored, since they are not made "obvious" as a lesser director would do, but made at just the right tone that befits the gentle nature of the film. There are some bigger gags, of course, including a boisterous "firework" scene near the end. But the majority of the film is consist of one light humorous touch after another. Thus, it's a film that rewards the observant viewer. And home video provides a perfect means for repeat viewings, which this film is best appreciated with. Although Tati's MON ONCLE (also available as a Criterion DVD) is generally considered to be thematically and artistically superior, it is M. HULOT'S HOLIDAY, I believe, that best showcases Tati's unique comedic universe.

This Criterion DVD runs 87 minutes, and it fails to mention that the original French version was over 110 minutes. The black-and-white picture quality is superb. English subtitles are optional. Also included on the DVD is the 1936 short film SOIGNE TON GAUCHE that starred Tati as a would-be boxer.

Subtle and funny......
My husband and I enjoyed MR HULOT'S VACATION very much. Although the film has been described elsewhere as slapstick, I don't think it is -- though there are a few scenes that made me laugh like crazy. VACATION is an intelligent and subltle film that does not depend on clever dialogue, in fact there is very little dialogue, though the film is not silent.

The comparison with Mr. Bean is a good one, but Tati is not Roland Atkins any more than Buster Keaton was Charlie Chaplin. In fact, Tati falls somewhere in between Chaplin and Atkins, neither as clumsy or pitiable as the former nor as socially inept as the latter. In fact, Mr. Hulot seems an average sort of guy who experiences more than his share of the odd experiences that can and do happen to everyone.

Mr. Hulot appeals because we can identify with him. For example, Mr. Hulot has problems with his car. Well, I once owned a car I could not get out of second gear. Since the mechanic could not fix it for a price I could afford, I drove it very slowly. My mother owned a car that flicked on the windshield wipers and headlights every time she hit a bump. She had to hit another bump to turn them off. My husband had an old MG with a rusted floorboard. As you rode along you could see the pavement underneath the car. We gave it to my daughter and she traded it for a bicycle. Mr. Hulot's experiences with his car don't seem odd to me, and they make me laugh in recognition.

Chaplin was always center stage and to a certain extent Atkins is seldom out of the frame either. However, Mr Hulot shares the stage with an assortment of people some might call eccentric. In fact, the folks in VACATION remind me of the people who populate my own world. I am not unique, however, I am observant, and one of the things I like about Tati is that he recognizes each person is an individual and that each has interesting experiences that are occasionally funny. As Mr. Bennet says in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, "but for what do we exist except to amuse others and they in their turn to amuse us." Humor is in the eye of the beholder. Tati simply makes it obvious that people are funny.

Like Mr. Bean, Mr. Hulot blithely moves about unconscious of the havoc he leaves in his wake, but all of us cause havoc somewhere at some point and are unaware of it. Sometimes it's serious havoc. Have you never seen near accidents on the highway where the "cause" goes merrily on his way? Of course some accidents are bad, but often accidents are funny.

Unlike Mr. Bean, Mr. Hulot does not seem to be lonely. He actually has a nice time with the beautiful blonde--well he mostly does, but if he fails to connect on an occasion or two it's not for lack of interest on her part. And, Mr. Hulot is quite a good tennis player who makes a friend of the tennis coach (and impresses the blonde).

Probably the thing I enjoyed the most about this film was the context. What is it about vacations that brings out insanity?? The opening scenes as everyone heads to the beach are hilarious. I too have nearly missed trains in Europe from being on the wrong side of the track. However, there are some wonderful tranquill scenes too. The sound of the waves pounding the surf at night under a full moon, and the clear sunny sky by day, as well as the happy mood of the vactioners--especially the children--is enough to put anyone in a good mood. I love this little film and I'm going to watch it over and over. I'll buy more Tati DVDs too, since I don't have a car payment to worry about.

A classic that will grow on you as long as you live
This is one of the most beloved movies by affictionados of the foreign film scene. Tati provided a brilliant link between the best of what the silent movie era and modern film had to offer. It is a relatively simple tale of a bumbling man on vacation on the coast of France. But repeated viewings, especially over the years, opens up more and more treasures that were heretofore unrecognized, like a classic novel. I would be surprised if anyone would rave about this film the first time they watch it. I certainly didn't. But repeat viewings over the years will give you an appreciation of this film that borders on worship. Every member of my extended family loves this movie, and everyone has there own particular reason. Some love it for its ability to perfectly capture a foreign time and place, allowing one to feel as if they themselves have escaped to the French coast for the afternoon. Some love Hulot's awkward but endearing attempts at romance the best. Many love the brilliant sight gags that are laugh-out-loud funny no matter how many times you've seen them. But regardless of what a viewer loves the most, everyone will feel a bond with Hulot's character (and, in turn, M. Tati) that will last a lifetime. With this DVD, I can finally feel safe to loan away my beloved, grainy VHS copy. A movie classic by every meaning of the term.