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Product Description
The film that brought Jacques Tati international acclaim also launched his on-screen alter ego: the courteous, well-meaning, eternally accident prone Monsieur Hulot with whom Tati would from now on be inseparably associated. As with Jour de fête, the film is set in a sleepy French coastal resort which is seasonally disrupted by holidaymakers in energetic pursuit of fun. At the centre of the chaos is the eccentric Hulot, struggling at all times to maintain appearances, but somehow entirely divorced from his immediate surroundings. There is little plot in Tati s beautifully orchestrated ballet of comic action: it s a series of incidents, a seamless succession of gently mocking studies of human absurdity.
Extra Features:
- Newly remastered to High Definition
- Includes two different cuts of the film
- Dual Format Edition: includes both Blu-ray and the DVD versions of the main feature
- Interview with filmmaker Richard Lester (A Hard Days Night, Superman II) (DVD only)
- Original trailers for Les Vacances de M. Hulot, Mon Oncle and Playtime
- Extensive illustrated booklet featuring essays and film notes
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
BFI have excelled themselves with this release. The package contains a Blu-Ray of the glistening 2009 restoration of the 1978 version of Les Vacances (French and International languages, with subtities), and the original 1953 version (French with subtitles). The 1953 version has a different, more laid-back recording of the music, runs slightly longer, and does not appear to have been issued in any home format before.
The DVD contains all of the above plus the 1978 trailer and an interview with Dick Lester. This last item is strange in that is tells you as much about Dick Lester, Buster Keaton, Peter Sellers and A Show Called Fred as it does Jacques Tati. Lester seems not even to have watched the film for quite some time, and then he's only seen it 4 times. I would still recommend it for any fan of comedy.
Philip Kemp has written a revealing yet concise essay in the enclosed booklet explaining the background to the film and the origins of the different versions.
The film itself is of course 5 stars (although Playtime (Blu-ray + DVD) is my personal favourite). For those unfamiliar, it's an extremely laid-back character study of a week's vacation on the French coast, crammed with visual jokes both subtle and obvious. Tati is, however, never afraid to take his time to set the scene and develop gags. It rewards repeated viewing and deserves to be placed near the top of any list of great comedies.
The DVD contains all of the above plus the 1978 trailer and an interview with Dick Lester. This last item is strange in that is tells you as much about Dick Lester, Buster Keaton, Peter Sellers and A Show Called Fred as it does Jacques Tati. Lester seems not even to have watched the film for quite some time, and then he's only seen it 4 times. I would still recommend it for any fan of comedy.
Philip Kemp has written a revealing yet concise essay in the enclosed booklet explaining the background to the film and the origins of the different versions.
The film itself is of course 5 stars (although Playtime (Blu-ray + DVD) is my personal favourite). For those unfamiliar, it's an extremely laid-back character study of a week's vacation on the French coast, crammed with visual jokes both subtle and obvious. Tati is, however, never afraid to take his time to set the scene and develop gags. It rewards repeated viewing and deserves to be placed near the top of any list of great comedies.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
There's little argument that Tati's M. Hulot's Holiday, or Les Vacances de M. Hulot, is a movie beyond dispute, a classic by now,
and easy to recommend--unless you can't stand mimes, or quasi-mimes. It's really an unsentimental take on human foibles and the random whimsy
of our environment, both material and human--as well as a visual essay on the sometimes complicated nature of vacations. For me, having grown up on an island, it's probably even more vivid and evocative. There's a sweet nostalgia to it, as day after day washes past, as elemental sea and land meet, as strangers meet and glance off of one another, as we come to know each individual and his or her traits and eccentricities. And then there's tall, loping Hulot, walking through the middle of the film, oblivious to most of the chaos that follows in his wake. But finally, it's probably the longest string of truly inventive sight gags in movies, short of Keaton's best work. It's my favorite of all of Tati's films, before he became a bit more labored in his later work, a bit too self-consciously ambitious and pretentious perhaps. (Though I still enjoy them and recommend them. It's a very small body of work--the work of an obvious perfectionist--and easily worth the time invested.)
This new BFI release is the best transfer of the movie I've ever seen, complete with an insightful featured interview by Philip Kemp with the very articulate, intelligent Richard Lester. Lester actually listens carefully to the questions, thinks about his answers before responding, and you can see him refining his (and our) understanding of the "calmly framed" aesthetic of Tati. I watched the straight HD disc, not having an all-region Blu-ray player, but I don't see how the transfer could be much more detailed or much cleaner than the regular DVD included here. Worth noting, as well, is that this release includes a more generous translation into English of the French dialogue, making this release less of a silent movie and more of a quiet movie. Shot on location at an actual resort in northern France, in documentary style, this is the 1978 re-edit of the movie, one that Tati continued to tinker with from the initial 1953 release until reaching what seems to be the director's final cut of Les Vacances.
and easy to recommend--unless you can't stand mimes, or quasi-mimes. It's really an unsentimental take on human foibles and the random whimsy
of our environment, both material and human--as well as a visual essay on the sometimes complicated nature of vacations. For me, having grown up on an island, it's probably even more vivid and evocative. There's a sweet nostalgia to it, as day after day washes past, as elemental sea and land meet, as strangers meet and glance off of one another, as we come to know each individual and his or her traits and eccentricities. And then there's tall, loping Hulot, walking through the middle of the film, oblivious to most of the chaos that follows in his wake. But finally, it's probably the longest string of truly inventive sight gags in movies, short of Keaton's best work. It's my favorite of all of Tati's films, before he became a bit more labored in his later work, a bit too self-consciously ambitious and pretentious perhaps. (Though I still enjoy them and recommend them. It's a very small body of work--the work of an obvious perfectionist--and easily worth the time invested.)
This new BFI release is the best transfer of the movie I've ever seen, complete with an insightful featured interview by Philip Kemp with the very articulate, intelligent Richard Lester. Lester actually listens carefully to the questions, thinks about his answers before responding, and you can see him refining his (and our) understanding of the "calmly framed" aesthetic of Tati. I watched the straight HD disc, not having an all-region Blu-ray player, but I don't see how the transfer could be much more detailed or much cleaner than the regular DVD included here. Worth noting, as well, is that this release includes a more generous translation into English of the French dialogue, making this release less of a silent movie and more of a quiet movie. Shot on location at an actual resort in northern France, in documentary style, this is the 1978 re-edit of the movie, one that Tati continued to tinker with from the initial 1953 release until reaching what seems to be the director's final cut of Les Vacances.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Good clean fun! A hilarious film which makes you nostalgic for places you've never been.The scenery is beautiful, the characters superbly drawn (even though they say very little),the outfits are amazing and the whole thing makes you smile from start to finish. In the six weeks since buying this DVD I've watched it about four times. It should be compulsory viewing every time it rains and again just before every holiday. I love the film and I love Jaques Tati for making it. Can't wait to see Mon Oncle now, although I'm worried that nothing could be as good as this....
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A classic comedy
This is the best of Jacques Tati in my opinion as I find the others more contrived though enjoyable. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Doc Barbara
Les Vacances de M. Hulot
Absolutely engrossed in this film from start to finish, I have watched it time & time again, each time you see something new you missed! Read more
Published 3 months ago by Big E
A wonderful tonic.
How refreshing to be able to watch M. Hulot all over again; takes me right back to the '50's. Jacques Tati had such a wonderful ability to watch the world going by. Read more
Published 9 months ago by R. J. Hedley
Classic Screen Comedy
M. Hulot's Holiday - to give it its English title, has to rank in the very top flight of film comedy alongside the likes of Some Like It Hot and the original version of The... Read more
Published 14 months ago by BJ
U.S. players do not work for U.K. DVD
We have not seen the video as yet. It was necessary to purchase another player which was 'unlocked' in order to play
U.K. -European- DVD. Read more
U.K. -European- DVD. Read more
Published 14 months ago by petey cox
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