No films made before or since look like a (Jacques) Tati film
Jacques Tati´s style is so idiosyncratic that no films made before or since look like a Tati film except for the handful of homages such as the animated "Triplets of Belleville" (2003) which actually employs footage from "Jour de fête." Even more so, no other films sound like a Tati film. The characters often act like mimes, interacting with each other more by gesture than speech. They still talk, including Hulot, but their words are sometimes mumbled and their voices frequently sound strangely distant and are swallowed by the sounds of the environment. Characters sound like they are speaking from different planes within the same frame. On-screen characters sound as if they are speaking from off-screen, almost as if the actor is standing just around the corner lip-synching the lines. Likewise, the sound effects in Tati´s films, meticulously created in the studio, bear only a tangential relationship to the world and must be experienced to be understood.
There is no doubt in my mind that "Trafic" is the least of the Hulot films, but that leaves it ample room to still be better than 99% of the movies you or I will ever see. The more normalized Hulot just isn´t quite as funny as his previous incarnations, and the world of the highways isn´t quite as compelling as the modern architecture of Tativille in "Playtime." Nonetheless, if you liked any of the previous Hulot films, you´ll enjoy this. If you didn´t like any of the previous Hulot films, then there´s not a damn thing I can do to help you.
Video
The film is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The colors are bright; the image quality is razor sharp. In short, it´s another impeccable transfer from Criterion. For those concerned about such matters, like most Criterion full-screen transfers the image is picture-boxed which means some viewers will see thin black bars on the left and right side of the screen.
Audio
The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital Mono. Optional English subtitles support the French audio.
Extras
This 2-disc release from Criterion features a collection of extras recorded on each disc.
Disc One includes a 1973 episode (14 min.) from the French TV series "Morceaux be bravoure." Host André Halimi interviews Tati who, at age 64, is as spry as ever and remains the exhibitionist showman he was from his early days in music hall. The interview also features clips from some of Tati´s films. The disc also offers an April 16, 1971 interview with cast of "Trafic" from the French TV show "Le journal to cinéma." In the seven minute interview, the cast speak glowingly about Tati.
Disc Two is devoted entirely to a two-piece documentary called "In the Footsteps of M. Hulot" (1983, total running time of 103 min.) Directed by Sophie Tatischeff (Jacques Tati´s daughter,) the documentary spans Tati´s entire career from his music hall days to his forgotten first film effort "Gai dimanche" (1935) to his final outing "Parade" (1974), a live performance shot for Swedish television. The documentary uses extended clips from all of Tati´s work, not too difficult since he was only the lone director of six features as well as a few shorts, as well as some very exciting archival footage of Tati. The portrait that emerges is not too different than the one we already know: Tati as a showman, a perfectionist, and an intensely charismatic presence.
For a 2-disc release, there are surprisingly few features in the set, but the feature-length documentary on Disc 2 justifies the multi-disc treatment.
An unusually thin insert booklet features an essay by Jonathan Romney.
Film Value
When people speak of the great movie franchises, they usually talk about blockbusters like "Indiana Jones" or "Star Wars" or the Bond films. That´s understandable given the American-centric, Hollywood-centric and capital-centric nature of the film press. I have no qualms about naming the Hulot films the greatest "franchise" of all-time even if the term doesn´t sound quite right when applied these strange and beautiful films. "Trafic" doesn´t match up to its three predecessors, but it is still a worthy final appearance by Monsieur Hulot, and another great achievement in the all-too limited output of one of the world´s greatest directors, Jacques Tati.
There is no doubt in my mind that "Trafic" is the least of the Hulot films, but that leaves it ample room to still be better than 99% of the movies you or I will ever see. The more normalized Hulot just isn´t quite as funny as his previous incarnations, and the world of the highways isn´t quite as compelling as the modern architecture of Tativille in "Playtime." Nonetheless, if you liked any of the previous Hulot films, you´ll enjoy this. If you didn´t like any of the previous Hulot films, then there´s not a damn thing I can do to help you.
Video
The film is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The colors are bright; the image quality is razor sharp. In short, it´s another impeccable transfer from Criterion. For those concerned about such matters, like most Criterion full-screen transfers the image is picture-boxed which means some viewers will see thin black bars on the left and right side of the screen.
Audio
The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital Mono. Optional English subtitles support the French audio.
Extras
This 2-disc release from Criterion features a collection of extras recorded on each disc.
Disc One includes a 1973 episode (14 min.) from the French TV series "Morceaux be bravoure." Host André Halimi interviews Tati who, at age 64, is as spry as ever and remains the exhibitionist showman he was from his early days in music hall. The interview also features clips from some of Tati´s films. The disc also offers an April 16, 1971 interview with cast of "Trafic" from the French TV show "Le journal to cinéma." In the seven minute interview, the cast speak glowingly about Tati.
Disc Two is devoted entirely to a two-piece documentary called "In the Footsteps of M. Hulot" (1983, total running time of 103 min.) Directed by Sophie Tatischeff (Jacques Tati´s daughter,) the documentary spans Tati´s entire career from his music hall days to his forgotten first film effort "Gai dimanche" (1935) to his final outing "Parade" (1974), a live performance shot for Swedish television. The documentary uses extended clips from all of Tati´s work, not too difficult since he was only the lone director of six features as well as a few shorts, as well as some very exciting archival footage of Tati. The portrait that emerges is not too different than the one we already know: Tati as a showman, a perfectionist, and an intensely charismatic presence.
For a 2-disc release, there are surprisingly few features in the set, but the feature-length documentary on Disc 2 justifies the multi-disc treatment.
An unusually thin insert booklet features an essay by Jonathan Romney.
Film Value
When people speak of the great movie franchises, they usually talk about blockbusters like "Indiana Jones" or "Star Wars" or the Bond films. That´s understandable given the American-centric, Hollywood-centric and capital-centric nature of the film press. I have no qualms about naming the Hulot films the greatest "franchise" of all-time even if the term doesn´t sound quite right when applied these strange and beautiful films. "Trafic" doesn´t match up to its three predecessors, but it is still a worthy final appearance by Monsieur Hulot, and another great achievement in the all-too limited output of one of the world´s greatest directors, Jacques Tati.
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[release]24343[/release]