Vacances de Monsieur Hulot, Les (1953)

Director:

Jacques Tati

Writers:

Henri Marquet (dialogue)
Henri Marquet (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 June 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

It's laugh-vacation time as Jacques Tati romps through the most gloriously mad lark ever to tickle the ribs of young and old alike!

Plot:

Monsieur Hulot comes to a beachside hotel for a vacation, where he accidentally (but good-naturedly) causes havoc.

Plot Keywords:

Brittany | Very Little Dialogue | Directed By Star | Beach | Classic Car

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Jacques Tati	...	Monsieur Hulot
Nathalie Pascaud	...	Martine
Micheline Rolla	...	The Aunt (as Michèle Rolla)
Valentine Camax	...	Englishwoman
Louis Perrault	...	Fred
André Dubois	...	Commandant
Lucien Frégis	...	Hotel Proprietor (as Lucien Fregis)
Raymond Carl	...	Waiter
René Lacourt	...	Strolling Man
Marguerite Gérard	...	Strolling Woman

Also Known As:

Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (UK)
Mr. Hulot's Holiday (USA)
Férias do Sr. Hulot, As (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Dårfinkspensionatet (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Ferien des Monsieur Hulot, Die (West Germany) [de]
Festlige feriedage (Denmark) [da]
Hr. Hulots Ferie (Denmark) (DVD box title) [da]
Hulot úr nyaral (Hungary) [hu]
Riemuloma Rivieralla (Finland) [fi]
Semestersabotören (Sweden) [sv]
Vacaciones del señor Hulot, Las (Spain) [es]
Vacanze di Monsieur Hulot, Le (Italy) [it]

Runtime:

114 min | Finland:100 min (1955) | Singapore:96 min | Sweden:95 min | USA:85 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Portugal:M/6 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:S | Singapore:PG | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Approved | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Hotel de la Plage - 37 rue Commandant Charcot, Saint-Marc-sur-Mer, Loire-Atlantique, France

Company:

Cady Films

Trivia:

In English version, Christopher Lee dubbed the entire film.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)

Hilarious, influential, plot less, wonderful

"Mr. Hulot's Holiday" is a terrific comedy. But be warned, it is also deliberately paced, almost lacking in dialog, and absolutely plot less. In order for you to enjoy this film, you must not wait for the "story" to begin--there is not one. In fact, the film is not much more than a series of sight gags held together by a single set of characters and a single locale--but as such, it is brilliant.

Director/Star Tati's work in the Hulot films was an obvious influence on the solo films of Jerry Lewis a decade later. It is amazing that the French purportedly think Lewis a genius when in fact his best films (such as "The Bellboy," "The Ladies Man," "The Errand Boy," etc) borrow from the Tati style to the point of plagiarism.

Well, the original is better, and you don't have to endure the constant mugging.