Jacques Tati [1907-82] Page at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

Jacques Tati's gloriously choreographed comedies were nearly wordless;
indeed, there seem to be no quotes whatsoever of M. Tati on the internet.

Jacques Tatischeff was born 9 October 1907 in Le Pecq, near Paris, France; his father was of the Russian nobility and his mother was Dutch. After an early career as a professional rugby player (his 6-foot 3-inch height was a factor), he became a successful mime in French music halls, which led to roles in short & feature films.

His first film as writer-director-actor, the 1947 comedy short "L'École des Facteurs" ("School For Postmen") was expanded as the 1949 feature "Jour de Fête" ("The Big Day"). The Monsieur Hulot character appeared in only four films, and yet is one of the most-loved characters in cinema around the world. "Mr. Hulot's Holiday" [1953] was Oscar-nominated for Best Original Screenplay; the color feature "Mon Oncle" [1958] won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film (and other awards). "Play Time" [1967] is often called Tati's masterpiece; it was filmed in 70mm color over three years time, and the production costs bankrupted Tati. "Traffic" [1971} was a smaller film, and the 1974 Swedish television movie "Parade" was his last major film.

Tati and a fellow performer in Paris produced a daughter, Helga Marie-Jeanne Schiel, in 1942. Tati married in 1944 and had two children; the younger daughter Sophie Tatischeff is a film editor and director who has discovered & restored & released several of Tati's works.

Jacques Tati made only six feature films, but their masterful visual and audio comedy places him at the top of any list of cinema auteurs. The Criterion Collection has recently restored & released DVD & Blu-ray editions of Tati's four M. Hulot films; Tati's other works are expected to follow.

received an Honorary César Award from France in 1977

Jacques Tati won an Oscar
for Best Foreign Language Film for "Mon Oncle" [1958]
and received a shared Oscar nomination (with Henri Marquet)
for Best Original Screenplay
for "Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot" [1953]

He also received
the Prix Louis Delluc in 1953
Jury Special Prize at the Cannes Festival in 1958
an Honorary César Award in 1977
won shared National Board of Review Spotlight Award in 2010

"Oscar, Champion de Tennis" short film [France 1932]
Directed by Jack Forrester; starring Jacques Tati; credits at IMDb

"On Demande une Brute" feature film [France 1934]
Directed by Charles Barrois; René Clément was the A.D.; co-written by Alfred Sauvy & Jacques Tati;
starring Hélène Pépée, Rhum, Jacques Tati & Raymond Turgy credits at IMDb

"Gai Dimanche" ("Happy Sunday") short film
[Atlantic Films France 1935]
33-minute b&w film co-directed by Jacques Berr & Jacques Tati; co-written by &
starring Rhum & Jacques Tati; credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

"Soigne ton Gauche" ("Look After Your Left")
[Cady Films France 1936]
A farmer living adjacent to a boxer's training camp fantasizes about being a boxer; when the boxer's sparring partners
are too injured to continue, the farmer is asked to step into the ring. 20-minute b&w film directed by René Clément;
written by Jacques Tati & Jean-Marie Huard; starring Jacques Tati, Max Martel, Louis Robur, Cliville, J. Aurel, Champel
& Van der Haegen; available on the "Mr. Hulot's Holiday" DVD (below); credits at IMDb

"Retour à La Terre" [1938]
This b&w short film was never completed, the elements are considered lost;
written by & starring Jacques Tati; bare credits at IMDb

"Sylvie et Le Fantôme" ("Sylvia & The Ghost")
[France Feb 1946, USA Oct 1950]
aka "The Ghost of Alain de Francigny"

Sylvie et Le Fantôme French movie poster, directed by Claude Autant-Lara

A sixteen-year-old debutante pines for her image of her grandmother's lover (played by Tati!) until two real lovers her own age show up. Directed by Claude Autant-Lara; adapted by Jean Aurenche, from the stageplay by Alfred Adam; starring Odette Joyeux, François Périer, Jean Desailly, Jacques Tati, Pierre Larquey, Claude Marcy, Paul Demange, Marguerite Cassan & Damas
DVD/Blu-ray not available; Homevision b&w subtitled VHS [6/2000] out of prodn/used
full credits at IMDb • movie entry at French-language Wikipedia

"Le Diable au Corps" aka "Devil In The Flesh"
[Transcontinental/A.F.E. France Sept 1947, USA May 1949]

Le Diable au Corps movie directed by Claude Autant-Lara

During World War I, a young student falls in love with a woman engaged to a soldier at the front, whom she later marries; when the two meet again, their mutual attraction proves stronger than before, and they begin a love affair, with tragic results • Directed by Claude Autant-Lara; written by Jean Aurenche & Pierre Bost, based on the 1923 novel by Raymond Radiguet [1903-23]; starring Micheline Presle, Gérard Philipe, Jean Lara, Denise Grey, Jean Debucourt, Palau, Germaine Ledoyen, Jeanne Pérez & Jacques Tati {minor role); nominated for Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival
import DVD [7/2007] for $19.95
full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

paperback cover for Devil In The Flesh 1923 novel by Raymond Radiguet

"Devil In The Flesh: A Novel" [1923] by Raymond Radiguet
Controversial first novel of French author Raymond Radiguet [1903-23]
who died tragically at age 20 of typhus
Melville House/Neversink Library 8x5 pb [3/2012] for $10.95
Marion Boyars Publrs, London UK 7½x5 pb [9/2005] for $14.95

"L'École des Facteurs" (School For Postmen)
comedy short [Cady Films France 1947]
18-minute b&w film about a French postman trying to emulate the speedy delivery of the Americans;
Written & directed by & starring Jacques Tati; also starring Paul Demange
available on the "Mon Oncle" DVD (below); credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

"Jour de Fête (The Big Day)"
[Cady Films/Panoramic Films France May 1949, Feb 1952]

Jour de Fête / Holiday / The Big Day 1949 movie directed by & starring Jacques Tati

Filmed in ThompsonColor, which folded before the film's release; color prints were discovered and restored in 1995 by Tati's daughter. The bumbling postman in a small French village often gets teased by his neighbors; at the village fair, they get him drunk and show him a stunt film supposedly of American postal workers; next day, he tries to match America's efficiency and speed • Co-written, directed by & starring Jacques Tati; co-written by Henri Marquet & René Wheeler; also starring Guy Decomble, Paul Frankeur, Santa Relli, Maine Vallée, Delcassan & Roger Rafal; nominated for Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival
Region 1 DVD/Blu-ray not available (2009)
Embassy Home Ent. b&w VHS [3/91] out of prodn/used
full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

Jour de Fête, La Couleur Retrouvée book by François Ede

"Jour de Fête, ou, La Couleur Retrouvée (The Found Color)" [1995]
French-language book by François Ede
Tati filmed "Jour de Fête" in ThompsonColor; the company folded before the film's release
in 1949. In 1995, Tati's daughter discovered color negatives in storage, and had the color version restored and re-released.
Diffusion, Seuil 9½x7½ pb [1/95] import/scarce
Cahiers du Cinema Livres hardcover [1/95] for €19,00 via Amazon France

"Mon Oncle" [France May 1958, USA Nov 1958]

	Monsieur Hulot visits his sister, and her husband and son, who live in a highly-automated technological world. The nephew is fascinated with his bumbling uncle, and the father becomes jealous, and so gets Hulot a job at his plastics factory • Co-produced, co-written & directed by and starring Jacques Tati; co-written by Jacques Lagrange & Jean L'Hôte; also starring Alain Bécourt, Jean-Pierre Zola, Adrienne Servantie, Lucien Frégis, Adelaide Danieli, Betty Schneider, Jean-François Martial, Dominique Marie, Yvonne Arnaud & Daki the Dachs-hund; won a Jury Special Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film Criterion color DVD [6/2004] for $21.99 Homevision color VHS [6/2000] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia
	"Jacque Tati's Mon Oncle" [1959] French-language novelization by Jean-Claude Carrière, Illustrated by Pierre Etaix Robert Laffont hardcover [11/2005] for €17,10 via Amazon France
	"Jacques Tati: Mon Oncle" [2007] French-language critical text by Fabien Boully Atlande Clefs Concours-Cinéma hardcover [11/2007] for €18,05 via Amazon France

"Play Time (Le Temps des Loisirs)"
[France Dec 1967, USA June 1973]

Play Time / PlayTime 1967 movie directed by and starring Jacques Tati

poster for Play Time 1967 movie directed by and starring Jacques Tati

Shot in 70mm over three years time; the gigantic set of several all-glass office buildings was dubbed 'Tativille'; meager box-office and the enormous production costs basically bankrupted Tati. Monsieur Hulot must meet with an American official in Paris, but keeps getting lost among the glass highrise buildings and eventually gets attached to a group of American tourists. Co-written & directed by and starring Jacques Tati; co-written by Jacques Lagrange; also starring Barbara Dennek, John Abbey, Valérie Camille, André Fouché, Billy Kearns, Rita Maiden, Jack Gauthier, Nicole Ray, Yves Barsacq, Georges Montant, Erika Dentzler & Georges Faye
Criterion widescreen color Blu-ray [8/2009] for $24.99
extras on the Blu-ray version include the short documentary "Au-delà de Play Time" [2002]; the short biographical film "Tati Story" [2002]; a rare audio interview (1972); a video interview with Sylvette Baudrot; Tati's 1967 short film "Cours du Soir"; B.B.C. Omnibus program "Jacques Tati in Monseur Hulot's Work" [1976]; plus commentary and more
Criterion widescreen color DVD [9/2006] 2 disks for $35.99
Criterion widescreen color DVD [5/2001] out of prodn/used
Homevision color VHS [6/20] out of prodn/used
full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

Play Time book by François Ede & Stéphane Goudet

"Play Time" [2002]
French-language book by François Ede & Stéphane Goudet
Cahiers du Cinema Livres 10¼x9 hardcover [5/2002] import/scarce
Cahiers du Cinema Livres hardcover [5/2002] out of print/used via Amazon France

"Au-delà de Play Time" [France 2002, USA 2005]
7-minute documentary short film by Stéphane Goudet;
available on the DVD & Blu-ray (above); full credits at IMDb

"Cours du Soir" ("Evening Classes") [France 1967]
30-minute documentary made while filming "Play Time", with Tati demonstrating his music hall mime routines
Directed by Nicolas Ribowski; written by & starring Jacques Tati; with Alain Fayner & Marc Monjou;
available on the "Play Time" DVD & Blu-ray (above); credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

"Obraz uz Obraz" [orig air date Dec 1972]
Episode #1.5 of a Yugoslavian variety & talk TV show in Belgrade, hosted by Milena Dravic & Dragan Nikolic;
Jacques Tati is credited as 'Zak Tati' • series [1972-74] credits at IMDb • episode credits at IMDb

"Parade" [France Dec 1974]

Parade 1974 TV movie directed by and starring Jacques Tati

Tati portrays a clown at a circus; this color TV movie is more than a filmed circus performance, more like a Fellini-esque meditation on art and life, on the desire to contribute, to express oneself and one's passions • Written & directed by and starring Jacques Tati; also starring Karl Kossmayer, Pierre Bramma, Michèle Brabo, Pia Colombo, Johnny Lonn, Bertilo, Jan Swahn, Bertil Berglund & Moniqa Sunnerberg
Region 1 DVD/Blu-ray not available (2013)
Homevision color VHS [6/2000] out of prodn/used
full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

"Forza Bastia" [1978 short film]

Forza Bastia documentary film filmed by Jacques Tati & edited by Sophie Tati

When an obscure French football (soccer) team made it to the European finals in 1978, a friend asked Tati to document the game, to take place at the stadium in Bastia, Corsica; the Bastia team lost 3-0 (no happy ending) and Tati died in 1982, and the elements were stored away; Tati's daughter pieced together this 26-minute film in 2001, which has not yet been officially released
Written & filmed by Jacques Tati; edited by Sophie Tatischeff
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available
full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

B.B.C. Omnibus program "Jacques Tati In Monseur Hulot's Work" [1976]
episode details not available; series credits on IMDb

"Tati Story" short film [France 2002, USA Sept 2006]
21-minute biographical film written & directed by Stéphane Goudet; featuring Jacques Tati;
available on the "Play Time" DVD & Blu-ray disks (above); full credits at IMDb

"The Magnificent Tati" documentary [indep 2009]
60-minute color film tracing Jacques Tati's rise from the music hall stage in France to the epic production
of "Play Time" [1967], which prematurely ended his career; co-produced, co-written & directed by Michael House
DVD/Blu-ray not available; full credits at IMDb

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	"Tati" [1989] French-language book by Sophie Tatischeff & Marc Dondey Editions Ramsay 11½x9¾ hardcover [4/2002] out of print import/scarce
	"Jacques Tati: Biographie" [2001] French-language book by Jean-Philippe Guerand French mass pb [2001] import/scarce Folio Biographies hardcover [11/2007] for €8.65 via Amazon France
	"Jacques Tati: de François le Facteur à Monsieur Hulot" [2002] French-language book by Stéphane Goudet Cahiers du Cinema Livres 7½x5¼ hardcover [8/2002] import/scarce Cahiers du Cinema 7½x5¼ hardcover [8/2002] for €8,50 via Amazon France
	"Jacques Tati" soundtrack album [2002] by Franck Barcellini includes music from "Jour de Fete", "Mon Oncle", "Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot", and "Play Time" Travelling Records import soundtrack CD [6/2007] out of prodn/used Travelling Records soundtrack CD [4/2002] for €13,73 via Amazon France
	"Les Vacances de Monsieur Tati: Hulot à Saint-Marc-sur-Mer" [2003] French-language book by Stéphane Pajot Editions d'Orbestier import 8¾x5¾ pb [6/2003] out of print/rare Editions d'Orbestier hardcover [6/2003] out of print/scarce via Amazon France
	"Le Jacquot de Monsieur Hulot" [2006] art book by David Merveille seems to be 13 drawings without text that unfold from the book Editions du Rouergue art album [2/2006] out of prodn/used via Amazon France
	"Les Jours de Fête de Jacques Tati: de Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre à Saint-Marc-sur-Mer" [2006] French-language book by Stéphane Pajot Editions d'Orbestier hardcover [4/2006] for €14,25 via Amazon France
	"Music From The Films of Jacques Tati" [2007] Universal Japan soundtrack CD [4/2007] 16 tracks for $32.98 The song/theme titles are "Adios Mario" from Mon Oncle, "Arrangement Sur Les Trois Themes du Film", "Au Drugstore", "Chanson des Forains", "Chemisettes", "Jour de Fete", "Le Vieux Quartier" from Mon Oncle, "Manege", "Musique Strand", "Paris Autrefois", "Paris Circus", "Play Time", "Quel Temps Fait: Il a Paris", "Super Market", "Theme Africain", and "Tiurnee Rapide"
	"Etaix Dessine Tati (Etaix Draws Tati): Portrait d'une Collaboration" [2007] by Francis Ramirez & Christian Rolot Art Création Réalisation hardcover [12/2007] for €71,25 via Amazon France Art Création Réalisation hardcover [12/2007] import/scarce
	"Tati Sonorama!" Limited Edition soundtrack album [2008] Disk 1 has 38 tracks, Disk 2 has 15 tracks Phantom Sound & Vision soundtrack CD & booklet [9/2008] 2 disks for $31.98 Travelling Rcds soundtrack CD [9/2008] on 2 disks for €25,38 via Amazon France
	"Les Grandes Heures: Jacques Tati, un Comique de Vocation" [2009] Audio from a series of televised French-language programs by senior French filmmaker & critic Claude-Jean Philippe on the subject of Jacques Tati and his work French-language audio CD [3/2009] 13 tracks for €8,53 via Amazon France
	"Jacques Tati: Deux Temps, Trois Mouvements ..." [2009] French-language book by Macha Makeieff & Stéphane Goudet Editions Naïve hardcover [4/2009] for €42,75 via Amazon France
	"Tati" [2009] French-language book by Marc Dondey Editions Ramsay hardcover [4/2009] for €37,99 via Amazon France

	"The Films of Jacques Tati" [1987] by Michel Chion Guernica Editions mass pb [6/2003] for $10.00 Guernica Editions mass pb [3/97] for $13.00
	"Tati Shorts" [U.K. 2000] includes three comedy shorts: "Soigne ton Gauche" ("Look After Your Left") [20minutes; 1936]; "L'École des Facteurs" ("School For Postmen") [18 minutes; 1947]; and "Cours du Soir" ("Evening Classes") [30 minutes; 1967] Connoisseur Video b&w silent VHS [1/2000] available in PAL format/used

	Monsieur Hulot takes a vacation at a French seaside resort; his innocent though exasperating good intentions produce nothing but bad results for others, of which he is entirely oblivious • Co-produced, co-written & directed by and starring Jacques Tati; co-written by Henri Marquet; also starring Nathalie Pascaud, Micheline Rolla, Valentine Camax, Louis Perrault, André Dubois, Lucien Frégis & Raymond Carl; voices on the English dub all by Christopher Lee; shared Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay; won Prix Louis Delluc award Criterion b&w DVD [1/2004] for $24.99 Homevision b&w VHS [6/2000] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia
	"Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot" [1958] French-language novelization by Jean-Claude Carrière, Illustrations by Pierre Etaix Robert Laffont hardcover [11/2005] for €18,05 from Amazon France English-language translation Thomas Y. Crowell Co. hardcover [1959] out of print/scarce
	"Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot de Jacques Tati" [2009] French-language book by Jan Jansen Yellow Now 4¾x6¾ pb [9/2009] out of print/scarce Yellow Now hardcover [3/2009] out of print/used via Amazon France

Magic Lantern Video & Book Store Jacques Tati[1907-1982]

Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
Jacques Tati
[1907-1982]