Jour de fête (1949)

Director:

Jacques Tati

Writers:

Jacques Tati (writer) and
Henri Marquet (writer) ...

Release Date:

4 May 1949 (France)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Once a year the fair comes for one day to the little town 'Sainte-Severe-sur-Indre'. All inhabiters are scoffing at Francois...

Plot Keywords:

Very Little Dialogue | Village | Carnival | Slapstick | Cult Favorite

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Guy Decomble	...	Roger
Jacques Tati	...	François, the postman
Paul Frankeur	...	Marcel
Santa Relli	...	Roger's wife
Maine Vallée	...	Jeannette
Delcassan	...	The tattler
Roger Rafal	...	The hair-dresser
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Balpo

Also Known As:

Holiday
The Big Day

Runtime:

70 min | Finland:86 min (1960) | 79 min (restored version) | Argentina:80 min (Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema) | Germany:79 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White (original release) | Color (Thomsoncolor) (alternate version, first released after restoration in 1995)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Portugal:M/6 | Australia:G | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | Germany:6 (nf) (w) | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre, Indre, France

Company:

Cady Films

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 published by Tati's daughter Sophie Tatischeff, and cinematographer François Ede.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Preciosa puesta de sol, Una (2003)

A feast for the eye

When I first saw this film I was amazed by its simplicity but also surprised by its competence. Its a cheerful and really funny piece of a great French actor and director, with some fine and really original scenes in it. This comic masterpiece about a day in a picturesque little French village, in which the postman Francois is being followed, on his daily tour, when a carnival is taking place. The speed of the modern way of life is brilliantly compared by the typical easy calm French way. Francois symbolizes this old way by doing everything slow and wrong on and off his bicycle. The little but creative stunts are really figured out for that time and are inspired by Buster Keaton and have a little touch of Chaplin in them.

The uniqueness of the film is that the story is creating itself. As the day follows we get to know the village and it's inhabitants and we are also learn a small lesson by a little old lady with a goat.

Surely a must see!