Vacances de Monsieur Hulot, Les (1953)

Director:

Jacques Tati

Writers:

Henri Marquet (dialogue)
Henri Marquet (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:

Brittany | Very Little Dialogue | Directed By Star | Beach | Classic Car

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

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

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

• Cady Films
• Specta Films

Distributors

• GBD International (1954) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Astor-Filmi (1955) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Nino Mollesena Del Monaco (1957) (worldwide) (VHS) (revised version)
• 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)
• Globo Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Janus Films (196?) (USA) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (UK)
Mr. Hulot's Holiday (USA)

Runtime:

114 min | Finland:100 min (1955) | Singapore:96 min | Sweden:95 min | USA:85 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

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

Cady Films

Trivia:

In English version, Christopher Lee dubbed the entire film.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)

Brings its own popcorn.

If you do not have the time or money to travel back to 1953 to spend a French holiday, you might as well just watch M. Hulot's Holiday. Honestly holidays are stressful and barely ever as good as you want them to be anyway, while this movie was much more than I expected it to be.

The humor in the film is warm, never condescending or patronizing to the characters. There is always the sense of fun. The movie really sells itself to me by not making Mr. Hulot a buffoon alone in the crowd. Circumstance and happening reveals everyone to be capable of situational humor, the accidents of the movie are shared with a laugh.

It is an observational movie, and the majority of the humor is not forced, neither upon us nor upon the movie itself. It merely shows how people can get involved in each others' lives, how funny the average day can be. It is like attending a family reunion, really. The camera does not stick itself to Mr. Hulot, but goes anywhere for a laugh. If a small boy is doing something funny, the camera will be there to capture it all, and then leave the boy. This would make another film feel large, but because there is no story to the film, because there is no main character to feel especially attached to, it always feels personal, it always feel like you are seeing something nobody else is.

Perhaps the best part is that the film sticks with you for days afterward, and soon Mr. Hulot's Holiday shows its real genius, as you start noticing similar things happening around you.