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

Director:

Jacques Tati

Writers:

Jacques Tati (dialogue)
Jacques Tati (screenplay)
(more)

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:

Holiday | Seaside | Hotel | Vacation | Slapstick

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Nathalie Pascaud	...	Martine
Micheline Rolla	...	The Aunt (as Michèle Rolla)
Raymond Carl	...	Waiter
Lucien Frégis	...	Hotel Proprietor (as Lucien Fregis)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Georges Adlin	...	South American (uncredited)
Michèle Brabo	...	Holidaymaker (uncredited)
Valentine Camax	...	Englishwoman (uncredited)
André Dubois	...	Commandant (uncredited)
Édouard Francomme	...	(uncredited)
Marguerite Gérard	...	Strolling Woman (uncredited)
René Lacourt	...	Strolling Man (uncredited)
Louis Perrault	...	Fred (uncredited)
Jacques Tati	...	Monsieur Hulot (uncredited)
Suzy Willy	...	Commandant's Wife (uncredited)

Directed by
Jacques Tati

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Pierre Aubert		screenplay (uncredited)
Jacques Lagrange		screenplay (uncredited)
Henri Marquet		dialogue
Henri Marquet		screenplay
Henri Marquet		story
Jacques Tati		dialogue
Jacques Tati		screenplay
Jacques Tati		story

Produced by
Fred Orain	....	producer
Jacques Tati	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Alain Romans

Cinematography by
Jacques Mercanton
Jean Mousselle

Film Editing by
Suzanne Baron		(uncredited)
Charles Bretoneiche		(uncredited)
Jacques Grassi		(uncredited)

Production Design by
Roger Briaucourt
Henri Schmitt

Set Decoration by
Henri Schmitt

Production Management
Fred Orain	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pierre Aubert	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Pierre Clauzel	....	property master
André Pierdel	....	property master

Sound Department
Jacques Carrère	....	sound recordist
Roger Cosson	....	sound
Guy Michel-Ange	....	sound editor

Visual Effects by
Trey Freeman	....	restoration artist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Pierre Ancrenaz	....	assistant camera (as P. Ancrenaz)
André Villard	....	assistant camera (as A. Villard)
Le Chevallier	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
André Marquette	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Fabien D. Tordjmann	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
André Villard	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Raymond Dechanseau	....	synchronization (uncredited)

Other crew
Sylvette Baudrot	....	script girl
Bernard Maurice	....	general administrator
Philip Schwob	....	location manager (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Discina Film
• Cady Films
• Specta Films

Distributors

• Discifilm (1953) (France) (theatrical)
• GBD International (1954) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Nino Mollesena Del Monaco (1957) (worldwide) (VHS) (revised version)
• Republic-Filmi (1955) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Valio-Filmi (1977) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Future Film (2003) (Finland) (theatrical) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1985) (1987) (Finland) (TV)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• British Film Institute (BFI) (2003) (UK) (theatrical) (b&w remastered)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2004) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Better Television Distribution (2006) (worldwide) (TV)
• Eye Film Instituut (2010) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Janus Films (196?) (USA) (theatrical)
• Globo Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot" - France (original title)

Runtime:

114 min | Singapore:96 min | Sweden:95 min | USA:83 min | Finland:100 min (1955)

Country:

France

Language:

French | German | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Portugal:M/6 | Australia:G | 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:

Discina Film

Trivia:

The name of the hotel at which the guests stay is "The Hotel of the Beach".

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The Englishwoman declares Hulot winner of the tennis games after 3 points. A game is won by the first player to win 4 points.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Story of Bean (1997) (TV)

Much More Than Simple Slapstick

It's probably easy to see this as just a relatively late occurrence of classic slapstick. In fact, the slapstick dimension is quite masterful. But there's a lot more to this movie than the comedic value of seeing someone get kicked. Part of the charm comes from the structure of the movie. Instead of a linear narrative or a series of sketches, it's a multi-dimensional portrait of different aspects of human nature. The "point" of the movie, if there is one (there's more likely a large array of "points" in this apparently simple comedy), isn't put out ostentatiously throughout the film. For instance, if Tati intended to admonish people to have some fun in life, it's not by showing how Hulot's having fun but by showing the respect fun may have with some people. There's also the purely aesthetic pleasure derived from a well-crafted movie. This one's fluid enough that nothing appears superfluous, from sun rays passing between drapes to one of Hulot's "accidental" gestures. Of course, there's a nostalgic value in watching such a movie. Not for 1950s France but for another era, however long ago, when insouciance might have been acceptable.