Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953)
"Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot" (original title)

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

Director:

Jacques Tati

Writers:

Henri Marquet (dialogue), Henri Marquet (screenplay),

Stars:

Jacques Tati, Louis Perrault, André Dubois

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jacques Tati	...	Monsieur Hulot
Louis Perrault	...	Fred
André Dubois	...	Commandant
Lucien Frégis	...	Hotel Proprietor (as Lucien Fregis)
René Lacourt	...	Strolling Man
Raymond Carl	...	Waiter
Nathalie Pascaud	...	Martine
Micheline Rolla	...	The Aunt (as Michèle Rolla)
Valentine Camax	...	Englishwoman
Suzy Willy	...	Commandant's Wife
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marguerite Gérard	...	Strolling Woman

Storyline

Monsieur Hulot goes on a holiday to a seaside resort, but accidents and misunderstandings follow him where ever he goes. The peace and quiet of the hotel guests don't last very long with Hulot around, because although his intensions are good, they always turn out catastrophically.

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Plot Keywords:

hotel | holiday | vacation | seaside | bathing resort | 

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Taglines:

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!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French German English

Release Date:

16 June 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mr. Hulot's Holiday

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Discina Film, Cady Films, Specta Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min 100 min (1955)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This marks the first film appearance of Jacques Tati's iconic character, Monsieur Hulot.

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Goofs

The second time Hulot is at the table, when he reaches across his companion, the arrangement of carafe and plates change, and the amount of wine in the carafe changes, between shots.

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Quotes

Opening Titles: Mr. Hulot is off for a week by the sea. Take a seat behind his camera, and you can spend it with him. Don't look for a plot, for a holiday is meant purely for fun, and if you look for it, you will find more fun in ordinary life than in fiction.

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Connections

Featured in The Story of Film: An Odyssey: Episode #1.2 (2011)

User Reviews

Gorgeous

Tati is simply one of the foremost artists of the cinema. I wish I had discovered him sooner. M. Hulot's Holiday was the second feature film he directed after Jour de fete (unavailable in America at the present time). It was also the first of the Hulot series, introducing us to one of the best and most endearing characters cinephiles are ever likely to meet: M. Hulot.

However, no matter how endearing Hulot is, make sure you don't come into a film like M. Hulot's Holiday expecting a laugh riot. This particular film is not (although Mon Oncle, if you're perceptive enough, is). The comedy here, although there are some hilarious moments, puts most of its trust in slow build-ups and extraordinary cleverness. This film is an attempt to make comedy beautiful, and it succeeds oh so well. You will love all the characters, and, as the week draws to a close, you may feel sad. Although at this point I like Mon Oncle more than M. Hulot's Holiday (I have seen Mon Oncle 3 times and Holiday only once), this one is still a masterpiece, of mood if not for anything else. 10/10.