Jacques Tati, France, 1953, 84 mins, Cert U
Screening at: Cawdor, Thur 6th August 10am | Nairn, Sun 9th August 11am
Theres so much to love about this movie. The seaside town setting feels so real, just like Nairn. Actor-director Jacques Tati is adorable so polite and good natured. And yet, somehow, the very fact thats hes alive and on holiday, and that he walks into a hotel lobby, means that things are going to go wrong. Look out world, here he comes.
Anybody who has tripped when theyre trying to look sophisticated will see themselves in Monsieur Hulot. Watch this movie and youll remember the hotel, the funeral, the rug, the kayak, the paints, the lobby, the waiter, the old couple, the ice cream, the finger on the halterneck of the pretty girl while dancing.. Master director Tati avoids close-ups; his comedy is all about his lanky frame. A critic once said that hes a creature of silhouettes.
There are lovely Scottish connections: After Tati went to Edinburgh and saw its famous military tattoo, he sent an postcard saying Tattoo, Tata, Tati. The great French animator Sylvain Chomet is making a feature film based on Tatis screenplay The Illusionist. Its being animated in Edinburgh and some of it is set on Mull.
Though this is a French film, theres hardly any dialogue and few subtitles, so kids of all ages can enter the Tati world!