Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot

by Jacques Tati

France - 1953

Thursday, June 6th • 9AM
Sunday, June 9th • 9AM
At Chaktomuk

Feature Film - 88mn

Black & White

French with English subtitles

Screenplay Jacques Tati and Henri Marquet

CinematographyJacques Mercanton and Jean Mousselle

Music Alain Romans

CastJacques Tati, Nathalie Pascaud, Micheline Rolla, Valentine Camax, Louis Perrault

Format 35mm – Mono

First ralease February 26, 1953

Restored version2009

AwardsPrix de la Critique Internationale, Festival de Cannes 1953 - Prix Femina, Bruxelles 1953 - Prix du Festival de Berlin 1953, Prix Louis Delluc 1953

ProductionFred Orain / Cady Films

SynopsisAs holidaymakers invade the Hôtel de la Plage, the whimsical and offbeat Mr. Hulot, arrives in his spluttering, antiquated Salmson motorcar. Through his cheerful clumsiness, he keeps disturbing the peace and quiet of the city dwellers on holiday.In a kayak, on horseback, on the beach, at the tennis court, in the hotel dining room, in a cemetery or during a picnic, Hulot sets off gags and disasters. His mere presence is an offence to the conventional and the serious-minded. His elegant against the tide buffoonery and a gallery of unforgettable portraits make this summer holiday in the 1950s a masterpiece of poetic visual comedy.

AboutJacques Tati’s second feature gives birth to its legendary character, Mr Hulot who will reappear in its next films. “ That’s when I had the idea of introducing Mr.Hulot, a totally independent and disinterested character, whose absent-mindedness, his main fault, makes him - in these functional times of ours - a misfit.” (Jacques Tati)
In 1962 and then in 1978, Tati worked on new versions of his film. And after seeing Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, he decided to shoot more images in Saint-Marc-sur-Mer to change the end of the famous canoe scene shot in 1951-1952. So he continued the creative process of portraying Hulot for over 25 years. The version restored in 2009 and presented at MEMORY! comprises this 1978 scene.

Selective filmography of Jacques Tati
(1907-1982)

1949 – Jour de fête

1958 – Mon oncle

1967 – Playtime

1971 – Trafic

1974 – Parade

With the courtesy ofLes Films de Mon Oncle, Technicolor Foundation for Cinema Heritage, Groupama Gan Foundation for Cinema, Cinémathèque française