Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday

Jacques Tati’s best-known work – the first film to introduce his much-loved alter ego – is a masterpiece of gentle slapstick.

Monsieur Hulot (Jacques Tati) takes a holiday at a seaside resort in Brittany where his presence inadvertently provokes one mishap after another. Decked out in resortwear and polite to a fault, Monsieur Hulot’s genial presence becomes the catalyst for mayhem despite his best intentions to blend in, as he unintentionally disrupts a funeral, interrupts a game of cards and tries his hand at a spot of tennis.

Curator's Note

In the titular character’s first on-screen appearance, sight gags are set up with meticulous care by Tati, who trained as a mime in his youth. More than dialogue, which is sparse, Tati’s beguiling film is carried along by a lilting jazz-inflected score and punctuated with inventive sound effects.

– Roberta Ciabarra; Curator, Film