110-112, 439, 729-731 The Complete Jacques Tati

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swo17
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110-112, 439, 729-731 The Complete Jacques Tati

#1 Post by swo17 » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:09 pm

The Complete Jacques Tati

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Though he made only a handful of films, director, writer, and actor Jacques Tati ranks among the most beloved of all cinematic geniuses. With a background in music hall and mime performance, Tati steadily built an ever more ambitious movie career that ultimately raised sight-gag comedy to the level of high art. In the surrogate character of the sweet and bumbling, eternally umbrella-toting and pipe-smoking Monsieur Hulot, Tati invented a charming symbol of humanity lost in a constantly modernizing modern age. This set gathers his six hilarious features—Jour de fête, Monsieur Hulot's Holiday, Mon oncle, PlayTime, Trafic, and Parade—along with seven delightful Tati-related short films.


Jour de fête

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In his enchanting debut feature, Jacques Tati stars as a fussbudget of a postman who is thrown for a loop when a traveling fair comes to his village. Even in this early work, Tati was brilliantly toying with the devices (silent visual gags, minimal yet deftly deployed sound effects) and exploring the theme (the absurdity of our increasing reliance on technology) that would define his cinema. Here, Jour de fête is presented in three versions: the original 1949 black-and-white release, a 1964 version featuring hand-painted color sequences and newly incorporated footage, and the full-color 1994 rerelease, which finally realized Tati's original vision for the film.


Monsieur Hulot's Holiday

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Monsieur Hulot, Jacques Tati's endearing clown, takes a holiday at a seaside resort, where his presence provokes one catastrophe after another. Tati's masterpiece of gentle slapstick is a series of effortlessly well-choreographed sight gags involving dogs, boats, and firecrackers; it was the first entry in the Hulot series and the film that launched its maker to international stardom. We are presenting Monsieur Hulot's Holiday in the 1978 rerelease version, reedited by Tati himself, along with the original 1953 theatrical version.


Mon oncle

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Slapstick prevails again when Jacques Tati's eccentric, old-fashioned hero, Monsieur Hulot, is set loose in Villa Arpel, the geometric, oppressively ultramodern home of his brother-in-law, and in the antiseptic plastic hose factory where he gets a job. The second Hulot movie and Tati's first color film, Mon oncle is a supremely amusing satire of mechanized living and consumer society that earned the director the Academy Award for best foreign-language film. This edition features both the original French release and My Uncle, the version Tati created for English-speaking audiences.


PlayTime

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Jacques Tati's gloriously choreographed, nearly wordless comedies about confusion in an age of high technology reached their apotheosis with PlayTime. For this monumental achievement, a nearly three-year-long, bank-breaking production, Tati again thrust the loveably old-fashioned Monsieur Hulot, along with a host of other lost souls, into a bafflingly modern world, this time Paris. With every inch of its superwide frame crammed with hilarity and inventiveness, PlayTime is a lasting testament to a modern era tiptoeing on the edge of oblivion.


Trafic

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In Jacques Tati's Trafic, the bumbling Monsieur Hulot, kitted out as always with tan raincoat, beaten brown hat, and umbrella, takes to Paris's highways and byways. In this, his final outing, Hulot is employed as an auto company's director of design, and accompanies his new product (a camper outfitted with absurd gadgetry) to an auto show in Amsterdam. Naturally, the road there is paved with modern-age mishaps. This late-career delight is a masterful demonstration of the comic genius's expert timing and sidesplitting knack for visual gags, and a bemused last look at technology run amok.


Parade

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For his final film, Jacques Tati takes his camera to the circus, where the director himself serves as master of ceremonies. Though it features many spectacles, including clowns, jugglers, acrobats, contortionists, and more, Parade also focuses on the spectators, making this stripped-down work a testament to the communion between audience and entertainment. Made for Swedish television (with Ingmar Bergman's legendary director of photography Gunnar Fischer serving as one of its cinematographers), Parade is a touching career send-off that recalls its maker's origins as a mime and theater performer.


SPECIAL FEATURES

• New digital restorations of all six feature films, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the Blu-rays of Jour de fête, Monsieur Hulot's Holiday, Mon oncle, Trafic, and Parade and uncompressed stereo soundtrack on the Blu-ray of PlayTime
• New digital restorations of all seven short films: On demande une brute (1934), Gai dimanche (1935), Soigne ton gauche (1936), L'école des facteurs (1946), Cours du soir (1967), Forza Bastia (1978), and Dégustation maison (1978)
• Two alternate versions of Jour de fête, a partly colorized 1964 version and the full-color 1994 rerelease version
• Original 1953 theatrical release version of Monsieur Hulot's Holiday
My Uncle, the version of Mon oncle that director Jacques Tati created for English-language audiences
• Introductions by actor and comedian Terry Jones to Monsieur Hulot's Holiday, Mon oncle, and PlayTime
• Archival interviews with Tati
In the Footsteps of Monsieur Hulot, a 1989 documentary about Tati's beloved alter ego
• Five visual essays by Tati expert Stéphane Goudet
• New interview with film scholar Michel Chion on the sound design of Tati's films
"Jour de fête": In Search of the Lost Color, a 1988 documentary on the process of realizing Tati's original color vision for that film
Once Upon a Time . . . "Mon oncle," a 2008 documentary about the making of that film
Everything Is Beautiful, a 2005 piece on the fashion, furniture, and architecture of Mon oncle
• Selected-scene commentaries on PlayTime by Goudet, theater director Jérôme Deschamps, and critic Philip Kemp
Tativille, a documentary shot on the set of PlayTime
Beyond "PlayTime," a short 2002 documentary featuring on-set footage
An Homage to Jacques Tati, a 1982 French TV program featuring Tati friend and set designer Jacques Lagrange
• Audio interview with Tati from the U.S. premiere of PlayTime at the 1972 San Francisco International Film Festival
• Interview with PlayTime script supervisor Sylvette Baudrot from 2006
Tati Story, a short biographical film from 2002
Professor Goudet's Lessons, a 2013 classroom lecture by Goudet on Tati's films
• Alternate English-language soundtracks for Monsieur Hulot's Holiday and PlayTime
• New English subtitle translations
• PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critics David Cairns, James Quandt, Jonathan Rosenbaum, and Kristin Ross


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Past discussion threads:

M. Hulot's Holiday
Mon oncle
Playtime
Trafic

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Ashirg
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Re: The Complete Jacques Tati

#2 Post by Ashirg » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:12 pm

"Complete" in the title means Trafic and Parade are being included!!

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sir_luke
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Re: The Complete Jacques Tati

#3 Post by sir_luke » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:14 pm

And Jour de Fête!

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domino harvey
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Re: The Complete Jacques Tati

#4 Post by domino harvey » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:15 pm

I don't think any of us in our wildest dreams expected the word "Complete" to be used. This is AMAZING news

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FakeBonanza
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Re: The Complete Jacques Tati

#5 Post by FakeBonanza » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:16 pm

We'll find out shortly, but hopefully the set will have both versions of Jour de fete.

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scotty2
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Re: The Complete Jacques Tati

#6 Post by scotty2 » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:16 pm

Just in time for the November B&N sale too.

criterion10

Re: The Complete Jacques Tati

#7 Post by criterion10 » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:18 pm

I wonder how they were able to get the rights back to something like Trafic. Thought that one was still with Studio Canal.

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Lowry_Sam
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Re: The Complete Jacques Tati

#8 Post by Lowry_Sam » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:19 pm

domino harvey wrote:I don't think any of us in our wildest dreams expected the word "Complete" to be used. This is AMAZING news
I did....just not in October, though the 28th is pretty close to Nov. & really only a month before the holiday buying season. (it really only made sense to make this complete....and given the rumor that the estate requested that Criterion handle all of Tati's titles, it doesn't seem a stretch.).
Last edited by Lowry_Sam on Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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knives
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Re: The Complete Jacques Tati

#9 Post by knives » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:20 pm

criterion10 wrote:I wonder how they were able to get the rights back to something like Trafic. Thought that one was still with Studio Canal.
Yes, but so is everything else and I imagine SC just shrugged their shoulders when moving things to Criterion.

criterion10

Re: The Complete Jacques Tati

#10 Post by criterion10 » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:24 pm

knives wrote:
criterion10 wrote:I wonder how they were able to get the rights back to something like Trafic. Thought that one was still with Studio Canal.
Yes, but so is everything else and I imagine SC just shrugged their shoulders when moving things to Criterion.
In that case then, would Criterion have to have licensed all of the SC titles through Lionsgate? (The Canal titles do are under Lionsgate's control, correct? Or am I missing something here...)

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jindianajonz
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Re: The Complete Jacques Tati

#11 Post by jindianajonz » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:27 pm

criterion10 wrote:
knives wrote:
criterion10 wrote:I wonder how they were able to get the rights back to something like Trafic. Thought that one was still with Studio Canal.
Yes, but so is everything else and I imagine SC just shrugged their shoulders when moving things to Criterion.
In that case then, would Criterion have to have licensed all of the SC titles through Lionsgate? (The Canal titles do are under Lionsgate's control, correct? Or am I missing something here...)
It is apparently limited to the Tati titles, due to direct intervention by the Tati estate.

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Ashirg
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Re: The Complete Jacques Tati

#12 Post by Ashirg » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:27 pm

It's not like Lionsgate has any plans for any of their StudioCanal titles (unless it stars Arnold Schwarzenegger).

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knives
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Re: The Complete Jacques Tati

#13 Post by knives » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:31 pm

Also Mickey Rourke.

criterion10

Re: The Complete Jacques Tati

#14 Post by criterion10 » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:31 pm

Ah, I now remember reading something along those lines. Very interesting and pretty great of the Tati estate to do so.

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domino harvey
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Re: The Complete Jacques Tati

#15 Post by domino harvey » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:38 pm

knives wrote:Also Mickey Rourke.
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jindianajonz
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Re: Forthcoming Lists Discussion and Random Speculation Vol.

#16 Post by jindianajonz » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:54 pm

"Here, Jour de fête is presented in three versions: the original 1949 black-and-white release, a 1964 version featuring hand-painted color sequences and newly incorporated footage, and the full-color 1994 rerelease, which finally realized Tati’s original vision for the film."

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Finch
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Re: The Complete Jacques Tati

#17 Post by Finch » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:55 pm

Sorry if this has been answered before, but are there 4K restorations of Les Vacances and Mon Oncle on top of the Playtime one?

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sir_luke
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Re: Forthcoming Lists Discussion and Random Speculation Vol.

#18 Post by sir_luke » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:55 pm

WOW! Alternate versions of Jour de Fête, Holiday, AND Mon Oncle!

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Drucker
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Re: Forthcoming Lists Discussion and Random Speculation Vol.

#19 Post by Drucker » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:57 pm

Release of the year. Unbelievable. I've only scratched the surface and seen Holiday and Playtime, but I'm already ready to buy this set and watch every nook and cranny in a single setting.

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domino harvey
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Re: The Complete Jacques Tati

#20 Post by domino harvey » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:57 pm

Love the inclusion of a "classroom lecture" on Tati!

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jindianajonz
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Re: 729-731 The Complete Jacques Tati

#21 Post by jindianajonz » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:59 pm

I predict this thread will end up with the most awkwardly numbered title since the Mabuse set.

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perkizitore
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Re: 729-731 The Complete Jacques Tati

#22 Post by perkizitore » Tue Jul 15, 2014 6:16 pm

The extras look stronger than the Studiocanal set, so I will be cancelling my pre-order and pick this beauty during the November sale.

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criterionsnob
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Re: 110-112, 439, 729-731 The Complete Jacques Tati

#23 Post by criterionsnob » Tue Jul 15, 2014 6:57 pm

I'm not complaining at all about this great release, but it seems like they may have dropped a few extras from the original OOP discs, unless some of them are covered under "Archival interviews with Tati".

Original CC Trafic DVD:
- "The Comedy of Jacques Tati," a 1973 episode of the French television program Morceaux de bravoure
- Theatrical Trailer

Original CC Playtime BD:
- Au-dela de "Playtime," a short documentary featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the production
- "Jacques Tati in Monsieur Hulot's Work," a 1976 BBC Omnibus program featuring Tati

EDIT: Au-dela de Playtime looks to be "Beyond “PlayTime,” a short 2002 documentary featuring on-set footage", so if the others are covered under archival interviews, the only thing missing might be the Trafic trailer.

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FrauBlucher
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Re: 110-112, 439, 729-731 The Complete Jacques Tati

#24 Post by FrauBlucher » Tue Jul 15, 2014 7:22 pm

Hey Studio Canal...
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manicsounds
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Re: 110-112, 439, 729-731 The Complete Jacques Tati

#25 Post by manicsounds » Tue Jul 15, 2014 7:52 pm

Has anyone compared how the extras compare to the France/UK release?

Also, where are the extras from the previous releases including the Playtime commentary, the 2-hour documentary from the Trafic DVD, etc.
Hopefully they will be included. Or then it wouldn't be very "complete".

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