Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot (1953)

Director:

Jacques Tati

Writers:

Henri Marquet (dialogue)
Henri Marquet (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 June 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

It's laugh-vacation time as Jacques Tati romps through the most gloriously mad lark ever to tickle the ribs of young and old alike!

Plot:

Monsieur Hulot comes to a beachside hotel for a vacation, where he accidentally (but good-naturedly) causes havoc.

Plot Keywords:

Hotel | Seaside | Vacation | Holiday | Brittany

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

US Showtimes:

Nuart Theatre

5:10pm | 7:30 | 9:45

(personalize)

Cast

Jacques Tati	...	Monsieur Hulot
Nathalie Pascaud	...	Martine
Micheline Rolla	...	The Aunt (as Michèle Rolla)
Valentine Camax	...	Englishwoman
Louis Perrault	...	Fred
André Dubois	...	Commandant
Lucien Frégis	...	Hotel Proprietor (as Lucien Fregis)
Raymond Carl	...	Waiter
René Lacourt	...	Strolling Man
Marguerite Gérard	...	Strolling Woman

Also Known As:

M. Hulot's Holiday (Australia)
Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (UK)
Mr. Hulot's Holiday (USA)

Runtime:

114 min | Singapore:96 min | Sweden:95 min | USA:83 min | Finland:100 min (1955)

Country:

France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Portugal:M/6 | Australia:G | Finland:S | Singapore:PG | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Approved | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Hotel de la Plage - 37 rue Commandant Charcot, Saint-Marc-sur-Mer, Loire-Atlantique, France

Company:

Discina Film

Trivia:

The name of the hotel at which the guests stay is "The Hotel of the Beach".

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The Englishwoman declares Hulot winner of the tennis games after 3 points. A game is won by the first player to win 4 points.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Guest House Paradiso (1999)

An Absolute Hoot 10/10

A French classic every bit as funny as "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."

Except for missing the wonderfully amusing sound effects, this nearly silent film could be viewed with the sound on mute. Its plethora of homages to the great films of the silent era, meticulously executed slapstick and sight gags make me grin, smile broadly and laugh out loud every time I watch this Gallic masterpiece.

On a visual level alone, this movie works. Kids too young to understand anything about how movies are supposed to work laugh at the kayak, the fireworks, the tennis, at M. Hulot's gawky awkwardness, etc, etc.

It takes a bit more maturity, or perhaps immersion in Gallic sensibilities, to get all the underlying humor.

Whereas Monty Python takes more obvious pokes at the French, Tati's Hulot takes subtle swipes at the Brits and the Americans. It's 1953. The English speaking world has saved France from the Germans, but the French are losing the cultural battle not only to their liberator's language, but to their mechanized world. Hulot, the old French owl (note Tati's birdlike mannerisms), has become the awkward outsider in his own seaside resort. In that context, much of what might appear disjointed, takes on an appealing continuity. Ferreting it all out is like peeling an onion, layer by layer. Each viewing finds something new.

A film which improves with age and frequent viewing.