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IMDbPro

Jour de Fête

Original title: Jour de fête
  • 19491949
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 10m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
8.4K
YOUR RATING
Jacques Tati in Jour de Fête (1949)
  • Comedy
A village postman with no sense of humour delivers his mail via bicycle on the day the travelling fair comes to town. He is disrupted by a short film about US speed and efficiency and the pl... Read allA village postman with no sense of humour delivers his mail via bicycle on the day the travelling fair comes to town. He is disrupted by a short film about US speed and efficiency and the playful teasing of the village folk.A village postman with no sense of humour delivers his mail via bicycle on the day the travelling fair comes to town. He is disrupted by a short film about US speed and efficiency and the playful teasing of the village folk.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
8.4K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Jacques Tati
  • Writers
    • Jacques Tati
    • Henri Marquet
    • René Wheeler
  • Stars
    • Jacques Tati(uncredited)
    • Guy Decomble
    • Paul Frankeur
Top credits
  • Director
    • Jacques Tati
  • Writers
    • Jacques Tati
    • Henri Marquet
    • René Wheeler
  • Stars
    • Jacques Tati(uncredited)
    • Guy Decomble
    • Paul Frankeur
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 45User reviews
    • 60Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations

    Photos42

    Jacques Tati, Guy Decomble, and Paul Frankeur in Jour de Fête (1949)
    Jacques Tati, Guy Decomble, and Paul Frankeur in Jour de Fête (1949)
    Jour de Fête (1949)
    Jour de Fête (1949)
    Jour de Fête (1949)
    Jour de Fête (1949)
    Jacques Tati in Jour de Fête (1949)
    Jour de Fête (1949)
    Jour de Fête (1949)
    Jour de Fête (1949)
    Jour de Fête (1949)
    Jour de Fête (1949)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jacques Tati
    Jacques Tati
    • François le facteur
    • (uncredited)
    Guy Decomble
    • Roger
    Paul Frankeur
    Paul Frankeur
    • Marcel
    Santa Relli
    Santa Relli
    • Germaine
    Maine Vallée
    • Jeannette
    Delcassan
    • La commère
    Roger Rafal
    • Le coiffeur
    Jacques Beauvais
    • Le cafetier
    • (as Beauvais)
    Alexandre Wirtz
    Robert Balpo
    • Le châtelain
    • (uncredited)
    Jacques Cottin
    • Brass Band Member in 'Bondu' Café
    • (uncredited)
    César
    • Un figurant
    • (uncredited)
    Gisèle Lamy
    • Young girl on the way to fairground
    • (uncredited)
    Jean-Claude Laruelle
    • Child in front of the merry-go-round
    • (uncredited)
    Thérèse Lassaunière
    • Young Woman on cart
    • (uncredited)
    Henri Marquet
    • Le boucher
    • (uncredited)
    Jacques Pasquet
    • Bit part
    • (uncredited)
    André Pierdel
    • Man with boater hat in village square
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Jacques Tati
    • Writers
      • Jacques Tati
      • Henri Marquet
      • René Wheeler
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Trafic
    7.1
    Trafic
    Monsieur Hulot's Holiday
    7.3
    Monsieur Hulot's Holiday
    Mon Oncle
    7.7
    Mon Oncle
    Playtime
    7.8
    Playtime
    The School for Postmen
    7.3
    The School for Postmen
    Evening Class
    6.3
    Evening Class
    Forza Bastia
    6.0
    Forza Bastia
    Watch Your Left
    6.3
    Watch Your Left
    Gai dimanche!
    5.8
    Gai dimanche!
    On demande une brute
    5.5
    On demande une brute
    Wùlu
    6.7
    Wùlu
    Mein Onkel Theodor oder Wie man viel Geld im Schlaf verdient
    6.3
    Mein Onkel Theodor oder Wie man viel Geld im Schlaf verdient

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The movie was originally filmed in Thomson-color, a process that became extinct before prints of the film could be shown, and was previously only available in a black and white version that was filmed as a precaution, in case the color process was not perfect. In 1995 the color copy was restored and released by Tati's daughter Sophie Tatischeff and cinematographer François Ede.
    • Quotes

      François le facteur: I guess I lost my head.

      La commère: You mustn't get so worked up.

      François le facteur: I wanted to be fast, but the Americans get all the glory.

      La commère: Oh, the Americans can do as they please, but they can't make the crops grow any faster. Besides, news is rarely good, so let it take its sweet time.

    • Crazy credits
      The bicycle used by François gets a mention in the opening credits, along with the featured players: Peugeot model 1911.
    • Alternate versions
      In 1961 version, actress Delcassan doesn't appear on the opening credits, but the actor Alexandre Wirtz is added.
    • Connections
      Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Une vague nouvelle (1999)

    User reviews45

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    An Introduction to Tati
    This movie will undoubtedly not be what you expect. The cover-art of Tati DVDs paints him as a Chaplinesque figure, but he's much gentler than Charlie. Charlie was energetic. You'll enjoy Tati's films if you expect a gentle trip to a beautiful little village. Throughout the film you observe more than get really involved. Tati always keeps you at a distance, like a stranger.

    I liked Mon Oncle the best first run through, but by that stage it was the fourth of Tati's major four pictures I'd seen, so that must have coloured my impression. The most famous is Les Vacances de M. Hulot, and M. Hulot is Tati's famous character, who appears in Mon Oncle, Les Vacances and Playtime. He doesn't appear in Jour de Fete, which was Tati's first first feature-length.

    Tati is the Antonioni of slapstick comedy. There's plenty to look at in his movies, as long as you stop waiting for a narrative. None of them have real stories. They do progress, but its more the visual motifs of the various townspeople that develop throughout.

    Of the four I'd say Playtime is the least friendly to first-timers.

    All copies of Jour de Fete since 1995 feature the imperfect colour process it was filmed with. Its not colourised, that's just the best colour method that Tati had at his disposal in 1949 in France. Even after restoration it suffers from over-brightening and unevenness in colour, and the overall impression is of a bad colourisation, so just be ready for that, and remember this colour version wasn't available until 1995, before that there was no colour, and I think the colour's an important part of the experience of Tati's fete.

    I'd recommend you rent/borrow before buying any Tati, so you know what you're getting. Probably youtube won't be the best place: any small segment of his films won't make sense on its own, they're quite slow-paced, and the characters and scenes are meant to accumulate, not be excerpted.

    Happy hunting.
    helpful•30
    5
    • Ben_Cheshire
    • Jun 16, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 11, 1949 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • France
    • Language
      • French
    • Also known as
      • The Big Day
    • Filming locations
      • Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre, Indre, France
    • Production companies
      • Cady Films
      • Panoramic Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $74,554
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 10 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White(original release)
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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