M. Hulot's Holiday

Watched M. Hulot's Holiday, my first Tati film. It certainly gets my stamp of approval. It's not uproariously funny, like some other of my favorite films (maybe due to the fact that it's just not of my own era), but it's still an extremely entertaining and charming movie.

I'm really impressed with Tati's use of sound, overall. Not much dialogue in the film at all, but it's definitely not needed. Even the tiniest of noises distinguish themselves and really grow on you. Be it the undecipherable babble over the loudspeakers at the station, of the boing-boing of the Hotel's door, it's all so elegantly stylized, you can't help but fall under its spell.

The beginning of the film, maybe the first third, really isn't too funny, at least not in terms of a traditional comedy, but it's really all set-up, for the most part. As I'd come to realize, Tati really had an acute grasp on human nature and relations, and this is what drives the comedy. This gives it a very real feeling, like these people actually exist, and are all just trying to enjoy themselves on holiday.

Hulot himself reminded me quite a bit of Mr. Bean, in many ways. From his dilapidated car that he screeches around in, to his hyperactive facial expressions, to his nearly-wordless performance. A couple of my favorite bits from Hulot were the entire taffy gag, the tennis match, and the spare tire gag at the funeral. More than once, I was in hysterics.