Mr. Hulot's Holiday

Beach comedy in which Monsieur Hulot, brought to life with elastic motion by Tati, makes his first appearance. Hulot's arrival at Hotel de la Plage causes quite a stir among the vacationers. The pipe-smoking Hulot, enveloped in an anonymous raincoat, was the ideal vehicle for Tati's gentle satire; his neat appearance brings out the catastrophic consequences of his anarchist behavior all the more sharply. This new restoration had its world premiere in the Cannes Classics program at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Actor and director Jacques Tati (Jour de fête, Mon oncle, Playtime) is considered one of the most important post-war European film auteurs. His thoughtful film aesthetics, inventive use of sound, and critical view of twentieth-century culture have influenced numerous contemporary filmmakers, advertisers, designers, and architects.