"An incomparable spectacle."
Clumsy Monsieur Hulot finds himself perplexed by the intimidating complexity of a gadget-filled Paris. He attempts to meet with a business contact but soon becomes lost. His roundabout journey parallels that of an American tourist, and as they weave through the inventive urban environment, they intermittently meet, developing an interest in one another. They eventually get together at a chaotic restaurant, along with several other quirky characters.
Jacques Tati
Monsieur Hulot
Barbara Dennek
Young Tourist
Rita Maiden
Mr. Schultz's Companion
France Rumilly
Woman Selling Eyeglasses
France Delahalle
Shopper in Department Store
Valérie Camille
Mr. Lacs's Secretary
Erika Dentzler
Mme. Giffard
Nicole Ray
Singer
Yvette Ducreux
Hat Check Girl
Clumsy Monsieur Hulot finds himself perplexed by the intimidating complexity of a gadget-filled Paris. He attempts to meet with a business contact but soon becomes lost. His roundabout journey parallels that of an American tourist, and as they weave through the inventive urban environment, they intermittently meet, developing an interest in one another. They eventually get together at a chaotic restaurant, along with several other quirky characters.
In some ways this suggested to me a film that could have one side of the screen in monochrome and the other in colour. The former side would be that of “Hulot” (Jacques Tati) who has come to a Paris he knows but no longer really recognises. The latter one would follow the lives of some American tourists “doing” Europe and though lost when it comes to the language, are entirely familiar with all the new technology and modernisation in this ancient city. One exception in that group is the more adventurous “Barbara” (Barbara Dennek) who frequently finds herself, randomly, encountering an “Hulot” who can’t seem to meet anyone he sets out to meet in the way he expects to. As ever with Tati films, it takes a swipe at virtually all aspects of modern living and social behaviour, but here he also manages to extract some additional humour from the labour-saving gadgets that people install only to find they either don’t work or end up twice as labour-intensive as just employing a commissionaire in the first place. The whole calamitous enterprise culminates in a grandly designed restaurant on an opening night that starts with a tile loose and concludes with a chaotic scene that exudes a comedic naturalness worthy of Charlie Chaplin - only with more buzzers, bells and flashing lights. There’s very little dialogue to speak of, it’s really just a set of scenarios stitched together in a way that has you cringing in anticipation at some points then nodding heartily in agreement at others - all whilst this hapless man in a mac tries to salvage something from his day. It is a bit long and the deliberately slow pacing for the first half hour is a bit repetitious through 2020s eyes, but it’s salient points and characterisations have held up well and it’s still an enjoyable couple of hours.
Remy, a rat, possesses a palate far more refined than that of his fellow comrades. He dreams of becoming a chef, one who creates rather than scavenges. When fate deposits him in the sewers beneath one of Paris’s most famous restaurants, he finds himself ideally placed to fulfill his dream. Forming an unusual alliance with a hapless young kitchen worker, Remy begins a daring culinary double life. As Remy pursues his vision, he must navigate the suspicions of the calculating Head Chef Skinner, the disapproval of Remy’s own colony, and the foreboding presence of renowned food critic Anton Ego, who strikes fear in the hearts of chefs all throughout France.
In Luis Buñuel’s deliciously satiric masterpiece, an upper-class sextet sits down to dinner but never eats, their attempts continually thwarted by a vaudevillian mixture of events both actual and imagined.
Genial, bumbling Monsieur Hulot loves his top-floor apartment in a grimy corner of the city, and cannot fathom why his sister's family has moved to the suburbs. Their house is an ultra-modern nightmare, which Hulot only visits for the sake of stealing away his rambunctious young nephew. Hulot's sister, however, wants to win him over to her new way of life, and conspires to set him up with a wife and job.
In 1950s France, Helene and Michel lead a simple life until a freak accident in 2025 leads to Helene becoming a bank executive and Michel struggling with unemployment and depression. Their children grow up in a technology-dominated world.
Charles Duchemin, a well-known gourmet and publisher of a famous restaurant guide, is waging a war against fast food entrepreneur Tri- catel to save the French art of cooking. After having agreed to appear on a talk show to show his skills in naming food and wine by taste, he is confronted with two disasters: his son wants to become a clown rather than a restaurant tester and he, the famous Charles Duchemin, has lost his taste!
Mr. Bean wins a trip to Cannes where he unwittingly separates a young boy from his father and must help the two reunite. On the way he discovers France, bicycling and true love, among other things.
Michel works there manically solving people's problems over the phone. He is about to tie the knot with his girl friend Isabelle, an airline hostess. She flies all over the world, he hates to leave the office. A series of madcap mishaps involving theft or injury (as you would expect in his line of work) ensues after Michel promises Isabelle nothing will delay their marriage and she promises in turn that she's done flying. Once this unlikely promise is made, it becomes premise and both are forced into escalating white lies to maintain the appearance of keeping their word. Their predicament mounts as Isabelle is forced to do a few more flights, while Michel is compelled to travel to New York, Tunisia, and finally Hong Kong, where they are finally reunited in the throes of a contrived and hilarious drug deal involving a 747, water taxi chases, and martial arts.
A bet pits a British inventor, a Chinese thief and a French artist on a worldwide adventure that they can circle the globe in 80 days.
Long married 50-somethings Brigitte and Xavier are prize cattle breeders in regional France. Life is good, but the departure of their children from home has thrown Brigitte’s world into flux, as she finds herself locked into routine. She keeps hoping for something else, something more. A party held by students on the adjoining property accelerates this latent crisis and Brigitte impulsively sets off for Paris under the guise of a doctor’s appointment. The city immediately invigorates her, and when she meets a charming Danish gentleman, she impulsively allows herself to be flattered by his attentions…
Flanked by their two children, Simon and Adélaïde decide, like many Parisians today, to leave their two-room apartment for a quieter and more comfortable life in the country. They are seduced by a house in the middle of nature: space, a vegetable garden, a wood adjoining their garden and above all villagers who welcome them with open arms. A dream come true! But the young couple was soon to be disillusioned: the wood was actually a hunting ground for big game! Although the hunters are friendly, they are not willing to give up their territory, making Simon and Adélaïde's dream of the countryside a living hell. But true to their reputation, our Parisians are not going to let them do it.