Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
15 used & new from £13.97

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Les Vacances de M. Hulot [DVD] [1953]
 
See larger image
 

Les Vacances de M. Hulot [DVD] [1953]

DVD ~ Jacques Tati
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
RRP: £19.99
Price: £14.48 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £5.51 (28%)
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 7? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
14 new from £14.12 1 used from £13.97
Learn about Lovefilm
Amazon's choice for DVD rental.
With a 14 day FREE trial. Learn more

Frequently Bought Together

Les Vacances de M. Hulot [DVD] [1953] + Mon Oncle [1958] [DVD] + Jour De Fete [1949] [DVD]
Total RRP: £59.97
Price For All Three: £41.44

Show availability and shipping details


What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Les Vacances de M. Hulot [DVD] [1953]
93% buy the item featured on this page:
Les Vacances de M. Hulot [DVD] [1953] 4.6 out of 5 stars (34)
£14.48
Mon Oncle [1958] [DVD]
2% buy
Mon Oncle [1958] [DVD] 4.5 out of 5 stars (12)
£12.48
Jour De Fete [1949] [DVD]
2% buy
Jour De Fete [1949] [DVD] 4.0 out of 5 stars (10)
£14.48
La Gloire De Mon Pere [DVD] [1990]
1% buy
La Gloire De Mon Pere [DVD] [1990] 3.8 out of 5 stars (13)
£5.98

Product details

  • Actors: Jacques Tati, Nathalie Pascaud, Micheline Rolla, Valentine Camax, Louis Perrault
  • Directors: Jacques Tati
  • Writers: Jacques Tati, Henri Marquet, Jacques Lagrange, Pierre Aubert
  • Producers: Jacques Tati, Fred Orain
  • Format: Black & White, Full Screen, PAL
  • Language English, French
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: U
  • Studio: Bfi Video
  • DVD Release Date: 29 Nov 2004
  • Run Time: 84 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0006687TE
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,344 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

    Popular in this category:

    #15 in  DVD > Classics > Comedy

Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Forefather of Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean, Jacques Tati's Monsieur Hulot--a recurring character in several of his movies--is a blithely clumsy troublemaker, an insouciant twit who leaves uproar in his wake without being aware of it. Trying to describe this 1953 comedy is next to impossible except to say it is a series of vignettes at a vacation resort, with the distracted Hulot providing a lot of laughs. Tati directs, and in a way what that really means is that he composes this movie with a perfect eye and ear for the comic possibilities in everything: composition, lighting, minimal marble-mouth dialogue, certain sounds (a duck call, a door repeatedly opening and shutting). This is a superior work that ranks among all-time classic comedies. --Tom Keogh

Synopsis
Jacques Tati, master of his own idiosyncratic genre of cinematic slapstick, followed up his acclaimed debut JOUR DE F-TE with the equally ingenious MR. HULOT'S HOLIDAY. Five years in the making, the film marks the debut of Tati's altar ego, Mr. Hulot, a gangly and awkward Frenchman, perpetually the center and possible cause of a whirlwind of disasters, pratfalls, and mishaps. Tati's scrupulous attention to detail and almost arabesque sense of humor colors the entire film, from the departure of a gaggle of tourists from a malfunctioning train station to the minutiae of resort life. In place of a plot, a series of disastrous coincidences, surreal sight gags and irascible indignations erupt around Mr. Hulot as he gallantly and obliviously strolls through his seaside vacation. While he tries to impress a lovely ingenue, Hulot inadvertently barges in on a funeral, ignites a fireworks stand with his pipe, and topples a Ming vase, rarely realizing the extent of the damage he causes. Tati expertly crafts the visual bombast of traditional slapstick into a beautiful and intricate sequence of incidents, accompanied by an equally elegant and intriguing seaside soundtrack of lapping waves, laughing children and transistor radios, all merging into an absurd symphony of cinematic delight.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Mon Oncle [1958] [DVD]

Mon Oncle [1958] [DVD]

DVD ~ Jacques Tati
4.5 out of 5 stars (12)  £12.48
Jour De Fete [1949] [DVD]

Jour De Fete [1949] [DVD]

DVD ~ Jacques Tati
4.0 out of 5 stars (10)  £14.48
Playtime [1967] [DVD]

Playtime [1967] [DVD]

DVD ~ Jacques Tati
4.0 out of 5 stars (6)  £12.68
Les Enfants Du Paradis [DVD] [1945]

Les Enfants Du Paradis [DVD] [1945]

DVD ~ Arletty
4.7 out of 5 stars (9)  £5.98
Jean De Florette/Manon Des Sources [DVD] [1986]

Jean De Florette/Manon Des Sources [DVD] [1986]

DVD ~ Yves Montand
4.7 out of 5 stars (30)  £6.58
Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

 

Customer Reviews

34 Reviews
5 star:
 (26)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless gentle humour - a classic, 4 Oct 2001
By M. I. R. Clarke "ian clarke" (northern ireland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
Mr Hulot's Holiday is simply one of the funniest films you'll ever see. In a series of hilarious episodes the blundering Hulot unwittingly causes havoc in a seaside resort. Tati's genius for mime is breathtaking at times - the perfect slapstick timing of Laurel & Hardy without the melodramatics. There is shrewd social observation and a host of real characters with endearing quirks and habits. There are so many visually comic ideas that you only become aware of them after many viewings. A film which holds you in a spell and generates timeless comedy at no-one's expense.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Comedy at it's best, 28 May 2003
The innocence of a single french man on holiday is what this film is all about. Tati is (or was) without doubt the greatest minimalist comic of all time. Only he can make painting a boat an absolute riot, only he can make a very sombre funeral into a timeless classic of comedy history. This man is one of the unsung heroes of comedy and if he was not the inspiration behind Mr Bean then 'je suis un oncle des singe' (bad french I know).
The absolute tragedy is that all of Tati's films are so difficult (closer to impossible) to get on DVD, Laurel and Hardy = no problem, Charlie Chaplin = no problem, Jacques Tati = BIG PROBLEM, This is a great film, this is a classic (as are all his films. Let's get em out on DVD. Even my Dutch girlfriend, who claims that she is not a fan of comedy films, laughs at this film, let's get it on DVD....
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars He did it first, 19 Nov 2004
By Mr McHenry (Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This is one of the funniest films I have ever seen. Owing much to Chaplin and - to a lesser extent - Buster Keaton and Will Hay, Tati's creation is a bumbling bringer of mayhem who remains oblivious to the chaos he creates around him. As the title suggests, the film follows M. Hulot on his seaside holiday. Each scene is brilliantly executed and masterfully played to squeeze every last comic drop from every situation. Less pacy than Chaplin or Keaton, but no less funny, highlights include the wonderfully choreographed table tennis scene and the closing firework extravaganza. This is an almost totally silent film (the few words which are spoken are in English) which demonstrates the truly universal flavour of physical and visual comedy. M. Hulot is undoubtedly the precursor of such comic creations as Frank Spencer and Mr Bean: as is often the case, those who came after are pale imitations.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious Hulot(Tati himself).The guy must have bean(sic)a genius.
He must have known exactly what he wanted,both directing and acting.
I saw this twice in one week when I was about 12,in the `60`s. Read more
Published 3 days ago by S. C. Dawson

5.0 out of 5 stars jacquea tati
Jacques Tati Les Vacances- I believe the finest work he has ever done. the do good'er, over polite gent on holiday, and getting into all sorts of scrapes - very funny!
Published 5 days ago by Miska1717

5.0 out of 5 stars Good clean fun
This is a very funny film, made in 1953, it is just simple good clean fun, It a French film but language is not an issue (there are subtitles) as there is very little talking. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. Nicholas M. Taylor

5.0 out of 5 stars Required viewing
Our favourite Jaques Tati film Have actually stayed in this hotel, although we didn't realise it at the time, although we thought it looked familiar! Read more
Published 4 months ago by V. Bailey

1.0 out of 5 stars Les Vacances de M.Hulot (1953)
It's a little difficult to review this DVD as it was returned to you as a faulty item. We were unable to view as the item refused to play! Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mrs. C. A. Banks

5.0 out of 5 stars Be careful which version you get
Jacques Tati is one of the great comedian/directors, but he was an impossible perfectionist in his movie-making, and died bankrupt as a result. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Peter Scott-presland

5.0 out of 5 stars Near comic masterpiece by Tati
If not Tati's best film (that honor would probably go to Mon Oncle), this 1953 effort is certainly his funniest, as Mr. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Andres C. Salama

3.0 out of 5 stars An aquired taste
Having never seen a Tati film in my 40 something years, I was probably expecting too much from this 1950's French comedy. It certainly has its merits. Read more
Published 13 months ago by S J Buck

5.0 out of 5 stars A little gem!
Some say that for humour to be good, it has to be well observed and gentle. Modern comedy could learn a lot from this film. It is quite simply the best that Jacques Tati did. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Big John

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank goodness-it's the original!
The best thing-this is the original FRENCH print. Not a bad idea, because many Gallic nuances went out the window when the background radio prigrammes were dubbed into an Ersatz... Read more
Published 17 months ago by The BlackFerret

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject






i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback


The Body Shop

The Body Shop - Vitamin C Skin Boost
Protect and boost your glow with The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost.

Shop The Body Shop

 

Make A Wish

Get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List Make sure you always get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List.

More info on Wish Lists

 

A Close Shave

Philips Nivea Coolskin HS8060 Moisturizing Rotary Shaving System
For all types of hair removal, stay smooth with Amazon.co.uk.

Discover Shaving & Hair Removal

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates