Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953)

Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (1953) – The genial but bumbling Mr. Hulot arrives at the seashore for a week’s vacation and spreads chaos wherever he goes.

Directed by Jacques Tati                                         Starring Jacques Tati

This is the film debut of Tati’s classic character, Mr. Hulot.  He would appear in three more movies over the next eighteen years.  Hulot is amiable, polite and generally unremarkable except for his ability to disrupt the lives of those around him.  It’s not that he’s trying to be a problem, in fact, exactly the opposite.  His goal is always to be part of the crowd.  It just never works out.

The movie itself has no real story line, it’s simply a series of sight gag misadventures for Hulot and the rest of the residents of the Hotel de la Plage.  Tati has a little fun with his countrymen as the French middle class tried to develop a new normal in the post-war years.  A modern version of the movie would no doubt be much more cynical, but Tati has a real affection for the people here.  The result is a movie that is both silly and charming.

A lot of what you see will seem very familiar.  Rowan Atkinson has acknowledged that Hulot was part of the inspiration for his classic character, Mr. Bean.  You will see a touch of John Cleese’s “Fawlty Towers”, a dash of Charlie Chaplin’s “Little Tramp”, a tiny bit of Buster Keaton, and one rather bizarre touch of “Star Wars”.  You’ll know it as soon as you see it.

“Mr. Hulot’s Holiday” isn’t a silent movie, but it feels like one.  There is almost no direct dialogue.  What dialogue there is, in French, English, and German, is background sound than exposition.  The audio to the movie is a repeated jazz piece, lots of sound effects and the smattering of talk.  Americans have never taken to the pantomime with nearly the affection that Europeans show for the art form.

I always feel awkward when it comes time to criticize a classic.  “Mr. Hulot’s Holiday” is routinely put in that category.  Placed within its proper historical context, it certainly deserves that honor.  But it presents challenges for the modern American audience.

Right off the bat, the pacing of the movie is very slow.  Every bit of action develops very slowly.  The sight gags are all predictable.

Why You Will Like It – The movie is charming, and Hulot is funny. If you can relax and go with the flow you will be rewarded.

Rating – *** Worth A Look