MovieChat Forums > Playtime (1973) Discussion > Which Hulot/Tati film to start with...??

Which Hulot/Tati film to start with...??

posted 16 years ago by phasmatrope
4 replies | jump to latest

Hey all, so I was going down one of my sorta obsessive-compulsive movie lists of films I need to see recently, of all the directors whose work I hadn't yet been able to check out in all my years of watching film. I realized that I haven't yet seen any of the Monsieur Hulot films, nor any of Tati's work, for that matter.

My question is, which one to start with?

If these IMDB ratings are anything to go by, "Playtime" seems to be the best-rated, but certainly isn't the first of the films in which the character appears. It looks like they're all supposed to be pretty good, but I don't know if one's appreciation of the later films would be that much more enhanced by having seen the earlier two films first, "Mr. Hulot's Holiday" or "Mon Oncle."

I just ask because I actually blindly picked up "Playtime" from the local library, and I don't know if I should just go ahead and watch it, or wait to see one of the earlier films first.

Thanks!!

[–] Niffiwan 16 years ago

I'd really recommend starting with "Mon Oncle", since it is (I think) his second-best film and the least radical. It could still be very unusual for you until you learn to watch it properly, but it's nothing near as radical as "Playtime" and it's a very warm and pleasant film - easy to like, in other words. There's a reason why Tati won an Oscar with it...

By the way, if the version of "Playtime" that you picked up from your library is a VHS, you won't like it at all. Image quality really matters, because a lot of the action happens far away from the camera. If you like "Mon oncle", try to find the new Criterion DVD of Playtime (though I hope that they release an HD version soon...).

___ __ _
My blog about Russian animation: http://niffiwan.livejournal.com/

[–] jonlenine 16 years ago

Chronologic order for Tati's movies (skip the short movies)

-Jour de fete:
(B&W back up 1945 version)
(hand painted 60'version)
(original color version release in 1995 for chemical issue)
-Les vacances de mr Hulot
-Mon oncle
-Playtime:
(new remastered 2 hour version in 2002 << the best one)
(additionnal shoot found recently, maybe a new 155 min version)
-Trafic
-Parade (TV-show)

[–] classicmoviecomedy 16 years ago

"Mon Oncle" may be his most accessible film, because it has a cast of characters whom we can really care for, and features more of a narrative than his other work. It also features gorgeous scenery of Paris in beautiful color cinematography.

"Mr. Hulot's Holiday" is another good choice to start with. It can just take a while to adjust to the non-narrative format and to look at the small, subtle gags and appreciate their beauty and cleverness. This film was a wide hit when released, and still retains all of its charm today.

I probably wouldn't start with "Play Time", however, which is in many ways his most complex work, and it really helps to be fully familiar with Tati's filmmaking and comedy style before seeing it. You may still enjoy it, but you'll really want to focus on those small gags and subtle approach to humor.

____
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[–] twi-zon 16 years ago

I love jazz, and I also love movies. I learned early on, when becoming a jazz fan, that it helps to start as close as possible to an artist's early work, and go chronologically, especially if the artist's name is Coltrane or Miles. By the same token, with a film-maker like Jaques Tati, it helps to start at the beginning, so I say the choice has to "Monsieur Hulot's Holiday." (That is, of course, if you cannot find "Jour de Fete," which I have not.)