Directed by:
Jacques TatiScreenplay:
René WheelerCinematography:
Jacques MercantonComposer:
Jean YatoveCast:
Jacques Tati, Guy Decomble, Paul Frankeur, Santa Relli, Jacques Cottin, Jacques Beauvais, Robert Balpo, Roger RafalPlots(1)
Jacques Tati's award-winning feature debut - a dazzling blend of satire and slapstick - is early evidence of his unique talent. Acclaimed by international critics as an innovative comic masterpiece, Jour de fete is an hilarious expose of the modern obsession with speed and efficiency, set amidst the rural surroundings of a tiny French village. Tati plays an appealingly self-deluded buffoon - a postman who, impressed by the bristling efficiency of the American postal system, makes a wholly misguided attempt to introduce modern methods in the depths of rural France. (StudioCanal UK)
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Jacques Tati essentially made a slapstick film, but at the same time, it's unique, and his humor is so gentle and human, even though there are some mischievous moments, it's still presented in such a kind way that American slapstick films never quite achieved. This is where Jacques Tati is both entertaining and a master of human observation.
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A whimsy summer with Vlasta Burian? Yeah, something like that. At its core, it's a mute grotesque with sound, even if the few dialogues only play an episodic role. The main aspects are the brilliant situational gags, as well as the wonderfully dusty atmosphere of the ponderous French countryside, which are meant for readers of Chevallier's Zvonokosy. Stylish music also plays an important role... Somehow, the message of a peaceful life, where the crackling of the American journal is not at all appropriate, is followed with a certain "bitter-sweetness". An old film for the soul. But as beautifully old as that hunched old lady with the goat that accompanies us in it.
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