Jacques Tati
The 3 films by Jacques Tati I have chosen to watch are Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953), My Uncle (1958) and Playtime (1967). In all three films Jacques Tati plays the same character Mr. Hulot who is a lovable, simple guy who seems to cause chaos wherever he goes. In the first film Mr. Hulot's Holiday, he goes to the beach on vacation. This film is in black and white and does not have the modern buildings that are in the other films. Also Tati seems to be poking fun at the people and their snobby behavior rather than their home or office like in the other two films.
One of the strangest things in all three films is the soundtrack. Most movies have some type of music to play in the background, but these films really focus more on the sound effects rather than having music playing in the background. For example, in Playtime when he is walking around the lobby of the office, you hear the sound of the traffic outside and then a weird buzzing sound. Every now and then you hear the chair squeaks like a whoopee cushion, and his shoes slide and squeak on the perfect floor. Also, in My Uncle the mother keeps turning the fish fountain on and off and this gives the water noise in the background.
In each of the movies, Mr. Hulot seems very lost and confused in the modern world. For example, in My Uncle during the kitchen scene, he is overwhelmed by the gadgets and they make it funny by his interactions. He is very confused by the cabinets that have no handles and open automatically. He punches one close and another opens and hits his head. In Playtime, He is very curious about the furniture and creates a funny scene when he squishes the cushion on the sleek modern chairs and watches them bounce back in place. In the Holiday movie, the comedy is silly and more like the physical comedy of Jim Carrey.
People love silly comedy, so I can see why these would be popular back in the day. I first saw My Uncle in my Contemporary Design Culture class when we were discussing modernism. It was fun to watch Mr. Hulot's reactions to modern architecture and design. I know these films were silly and over the top, but they are a fun way to make a statement about the way the world was changing.
One of the strangest things in all three films is the soundtrack. Most movies have some type of music to play in the background, but these films really focus more on the sound effects rather than having music playing in the background. For example, in Playtime when he is walking around the lobby of the office, you hear the sound of the traffic outside and then a weird buzzing sound. Every now and then you hear the chair squeaks like a whoopee cushion, and his shoes slide and squeak on the perfect floor. Also, in My Uncle the mother keeps turning the fish fountain on and off and this gives the water noise in the background.
In each of the movies, Mr. Hulot seems very lost and confused in the modern world. For example, in My Uncle during the kitchen scene, he is overwhelmed by the gadgets and they make it funny by his interactions. He is very confused by the cabinets that have no handles and open automatically. He punches one close and another opens and hits his head. In Playtime, He is very curious about the furniture and creates a funny scene when he squishes the cushion on the sleek modern chairs and watches them bounce back in place. In the Holiday movie, the comedy is silly and more like the physical comedy of Jim Carrey.
People love silly comedy, so I can see why these would be popular back in the day. I first saw My Uncle in my Contemporary Design Culture class when we were discussing modernism. It was fun to watch Mr. Hulot's reactions to modern architecture and design. I know these films were silly and over the top, but they are a fun way to make a statement about the way the world was changing.
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