Monsieur Hulot is the greatest franchise character ever created exclusively for film, and one of the greatest film characters of any kind. Director/writer/star/producer Jacques Tati planted the seeds for Hulot with his depiction of the bumbling but affable postman in "Jour de fête" (1949) and brought him to the screen full-grown as a bumbling but affable traveler in the hilarious "Monsieur Hulot´s Holiday." (1953)
"Holiday" was such a hit that Tati reprised the role in the superb sequel "Mon oncle" (1958), this time relocating the accident-prone Hulot from a seaside resort to the world of industry. "Mon oncle" was yet another success, and Tati had ambitious plans for his character´s next and, if all went to plan, final film appearance. Tati spent nearly ten years planning his next film, constructing an entire town to serve as the set, a parallel world equivalent to Paris, but done up almost exclusively in modernist steel and glass. The construction of Tativille (as the press dubbed it) cost quite a bit of money, and Tati was forced to sink his entire fortune into the project. The result of all his labor was "Playtime" (1967), the finest film of the Hulot series and a movie that belongs on a very short list of candidates for the title of "greatest film ever made." Naturally, "Playtime" was a commercial flop: audiences were disappointed that Monsieur Hulot was no longer the centerpiece but merely one of many characters moving through the bustling world of Tativille. The box office failure all but ruined Tati´s personal finances, and struck a blow to his creative ego.
Tati intended to retire Hulot with "Playtime" but had little choice except to resuscitate him one more time for "Trafic" (1971). However, the stubborn director, looking to explore new creative territory, refused to give audiences their beloved Hulot from the first two films. In "Trafic" Hulot is, of all things, a design director an auto company, which surely means human resources was asleep at the switch the day he was hired. Hulot is, of course, attired in his familiar hat and raincoat and seldom speaks intelligibly, but he is not quite the bumbler and music hall slapstick character of past days. As in "Playtime," he also shares screen-time with several other characters, most notably a hectic American public relations director named Maria (Maria Kimberley.)
Hulot, his driver, and Maria are charged with transporting their newest model car to Amsterdam for an auto show. Needless to say, they encounter numerous obstacles along the way. Both "Mon oncle" and "Playtime" addresses the inherent strangeness and wonder of modern industrialization. "Trafic" follows suit, this time with the car culture of European highways as its focus. Not a single thing goes right for Hulot and his driver. Their transport truck gets a flat almost immediately; then it breaks down. Maria, zipping alongside in her tiny convertible, speeds off to get a mechanic (cell phones would have ruined this movie) but the driver soon discovers they are merely out of gas. Hulot dashes off, canister in hand, to secure some fuel. Mishaps multiply logarithmically from here on out. Mechanics, policeman and passing motorists weave in and out of the story, sometimes to Hulot´s detriment, sometimes to his benefit. Whether the car ever gets to the show or not is irrelevant. To cop a phrase, it´s all about the journey, not the arrival.
This is a very different Hulot, despite the familiar costume. In the previous films, he was a holy fool, leaving mayhem in his oblivious wake but always coming out the better for it, and with collateral damage minimized. Here, he is oddly competent; perhaps steady work agrees with him. Hulot blunders into his share of contretemps but they´re seldom of his own doing. Where Hulot was intimidated by the multi-purposed gewgaws of "Playtime," he now shows an easy mastery of technology as he demonstrates the endless array of features the new car has: a razor stashed in the horn, a barbecue grill and two seats retracted into the bumper, etc.
Tati seems less interested in Hulot than in sussing out the weirdness and the beauty of the highway and the culture that springs up alongside it. "Trafic" often stops simply to observe random drivers as they wait or talk or pick their noses, for no other reason than the fact that it´s fun to watch people in the private/public space of the car. The film´s finest set piece is an elaborately staged multi-vehicle accident which is not remotely intended to be realistic. The scene has a cartoonish quality and, as you would expect from Tati, nobody gets injured. It´s all fun and games (playtime!) in the gentle and painstakingly-crafted world of Hulot.
Monsieur Hulot is the greatest franchise character ever created exclusively for film, and one of the greatest film characters of any kind. Director/writer/star/producer Jacques Tati planted the seeds for Hulot with his depiction of the bumbling but affable postman in "Jour de fête" (1949) and brought him to the screen full-grown as a bumbling but affable traveler in the hilarious "Monsieur Hulot´s Holiday." (1953)
"Holiday" was such a hit that Tati reprised the role in the superb sequel "Mon oncle" (1958), this time relocating the accident-prone Hulot from a seaside resort to the world of industry. "Mon oncle" was yet another success, and Tati had ambitious plans for his character´s next and, if all went to plan, final film appearance. Tati spent nearly ten years planning his next film, constructing an entire town to serve as the set, a parallel world equivalent to Paris, but done up almost exclusively in modernist steel and glass. The construction of Tativille (as the press dubbed it) cost quite a bit of money, and Tati was forced to sink his entire fortune into the project. The result of all his labor was "Playtime" (1967), the finest film of the Hulot series and a movie that belongs on a very short list of candidates for the title of "greatest film ever made." Naturally, "Playtime" was a commercial flop: audiences were disappointed that Monsieur Hulot was no longer the centerpiece but merely one of many characters moving through the bustling world of Tativille. The box office failure all but ruined Tati´s personal finances, and struck a blow to his creative ego.
Tati intended to retire Hulot with "Playtime" but had little choice except to resuscitate him one more time for "Trafic" (1971). However, the stubborn director, looking to explore new creative territory, refused to give audiences their beloved Hulot from the first two films. In "Trafic" Hulot is, of all things, a design director an auto company, which surely means human resources was asleep at the switch the day he was hired. Hulot is, of course, attired in his familiar hat and raincoat and seldom speaks intelligibly, but he is not quite the bumbler and music hall slapstick character of past days. As in "Playtime," he also shares screen-time with several other characters, most notably a hectic American public relations director named Maria (Maria Kimberley.)
Hulot, his driver, and Maria are charged with transporting their newest model car to Amsterdam for an auto show. Needless to say, they encounter numerous obstacles along the way. Both "Mon oncle" and "Playtime" addresses the inherent strangeness and wonder of modern industrialization. "Trafic" follows suit, this time with the car culture of European highways as its focus. Not a single thing goes right for Hulot and his driver. Their transport truck gets a flat almost immediately; then it breaks down. Maria, zipping alongside in her tiny convertible, speeds off to get a mechanic (cell phones would have ruined this movie) but the driver soon discovers they are merely out of gas. Hulot dashes off, canister in hand, to secure some fuel. Mishaps multiply logarithmically from here on out. Mechanics, policeman and passing motorists weave in and out of the story, sometimes to Hulot´s detriment, sometimes to his benefit. Whether the car ever gets to the show or not is irrelevant. To cop a phrase, it´s all about the journey, not the arrival.
This is a very different Hulot, despite the familiar costume. In the previous films, he was a holy fool, leaving mayhem in his oblivious wake but always coming out the better for it, and with collateral damage minimized. Here, he is oddly competent; perhaps steady work agrees with him. Hulot blunders into his share of contretemps but they´re seldom of his own doing. Where Hulot was intimidated by the multi-purposed gewgaws of "Playtime," he now shows an easy mastery of technology as he demonstrates the endless array of features the new car has: a razor stashed in the horn, a barbecue grill and two seats retracted into the bumper, etc.
Tati seems less interested in Hulot than in sussing out the weirdness and the beauty of the highway and the culture that springs up alongside it. "Trafic" often stops simply to observe random drivers as they wait or talk or pick their noses, for no other reason than the fact that it´s fun to watch people in the private/public space of the car. The film´s finest set piece is an elaborately staged multi-vehicle accident which is not remotely intended to be realistic. The scene has a cartoonish quality and, as you would expect from Tati, nobody gets injured. It´s all fun and games (playtime!) in the gentle and painstakingly-crafted world of Hulot.
No comments:
Post a Comment