Trafic (1971)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Jacques Tati

Writers:

Jacques Tati (original scenario) and
Jacques Lagrange (artistic collaboration) ...

Release Date:

11 December 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Mr. Hulot drives a recreational vehicle from Paris to Amsterdam in his usual comic, disasterous style.

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Police | Traffic | Road | Satire

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jacques Tati	...	Monsieur Hulot (as Mr. Hulot)
Marcel Fraval	...	Truckdriver
Honoré Bostel	...	Director of ALTRA
François Maisongrosse	...	François (as F. Maisongrosse)
Tony Knepper	...	Mechanic
Franco Ressel
Mario Zanuelli
Maria Kimberly	...	Maria

Also Known As:

Monsieur Hulot nel caos del traffico (Italy)
Traffic

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

French | Dutch | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

Les Films Corona

Trivia:

Because of an argument between, Jacques Tati and Bert Haanstra, Haanstra left the production.

Movie Connections:

Follows Play Time (1967)

My brief review of the film

It takes about half an hour for this film to warm up, but once it gets going, it is a great watch. As the fourth entry in Tati's M. Hulot series, the film is not quite as good as the two previous entries, 'PlayTime' and 'Mon Oncle', but it is still a fine film on its own, with not only amusing puns but also interesting satirical elements once again. Like with the previous two films, 'Trafic''s jokes owe a lot to the way in which the shots are set up, and in general Tati does a fine job visualising the material. Some shots appear to lack meaning or thematic motivation, but in general they help to flesh out the humour at technology. It is also interesting how there is a distinct lack of close-ups until the end. Everything going on is so interesting that one wants to look closer, but Tati places the viewer at a distance. The jokes are often funnier because we cannot see the finer details, and this is perhaps Tati saying something in the way of that if we distance ourselves we can see humour that we might miss otherwise if we try to examine everything too closely. As usual, the music used is excellent too, fitting in well with the on-screen action. Overall, the film does not work quite as well as 'PlayTime' and 'Mon Oncle', but there is little reason to regard it as an inferior entry - just a lesser entry, perhaps.