Jacques Tati

by Michel Chion

Life never ceases to give homage to Jacques Tati. Be it on a beach, in an old part of town, or in the glamour of a modern city, we find everywhere the gags which have peopled such films as Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot and Playtime. If a silhouette crosses us at a street corner, we are quickly reminded of certain scenes in Mon Oncle. Tati was a great film comic who deserves to be placed on the same level as Keaton and Chaplin. Tati created Monsieur Hulot who has now entered the world of screen legends. Above all, Jacques Tati was an exemplary artist who was not scared of taking risks or to invest his entire being in the making of his films. From Jour de fete to Parade, there is a Tati-World which this study invites us to discover.