Jour de Fête

Jour De Fete (1949) [The Criterion Collection #730]
A film by Jacques Tati - Part of "The Complete Jacques Tati - The Criterion Collection #729"
2xDVD9 | Untouched | ISO+MDS | NTSC 1.37:1 4:3 720x480 VBR 29.97 fps | 86 mn | 7.58 GB + 7.63 GB
Audio: French AC-3 Dolby Digital Mono @ 192 kbps 48.0 kHz | Subtitles: English
Genre: Comedy | Country: France

Jacques Tati's award-winning feature debut - a dazzling blend of satire and slapstick - was early evidence of his unique talent. Acclaimed by international critics as an innovative comic masterpiece, Jour de Fete is an hilarious expose of the modern obsession with speed and efficiency, set amidst the rural surroundings of a tiny French village. Tati plays an appealingly self-deluded buffoon, Francois - a postman who, impressed by the bristling efficiency of the U.S. postal system, makes a wholly misguided attempt to introduce modern methods in the depths of rural France. Initially released in black and white, but also shot in Thomsoncolor, an untested colour process, the film has been restored and is finally available in its original delicate colour. Jour de Fete at first aroused little interest among French distributors. Not until after its London premiere in March 1949, when it got good reviews and went on general release, did the French industry sit up and take notice. It won a prize for 'best scenario' at the Venice Film Festival, and in 1950 it was awarded the 'Grand Prix du Cinema Francais'.

Once a year the fair comes for one day to the little town 'Sainte-Severe-sur-Indre'. All inhabitants are scoffing at Francois, the postman, what he seems not to recognize. The rising of the flagstaff under his direction nearly leads into a catastrophy - but everybody tells him, how important his work is. Sneering up Francois continues in the evening of the festive day. Made drunk, some 'friends' persuade him to watch a short-movie in a tent. This film is a stunt-show, covered as 'The modern delivery-techniques of the US-post. Francois takes it serious, not recognizing being teased.

Tati Shorts (1934/1978) [The Criterion Collection]
Films by Jacques Tati - Part of "The Complete Jacques Tati - The Criterion Collection #729"
DVD9 | Untouched | ISO+MDS | NTSC 1.37:1 4:3 720x480 VBR 29.97 fps | 147 mn | 7.72 GB
Audio: French AC-3 Dolby Digital Mono @ 192 kbps 48.0 kHz | Subtitles: English
Genre: Shorts, Comedy, Family, Documentary | Country: France

Jacques Tati's career, which stretched from the midthirties to the late seventies, encompasses more than just the six features for which he's best known. The charming short films he wrote or directed are essential parts of his filmography as well. Collected here, they include three wacky 1930s comedies he wrote and starred in—On demande une brute (1934), Gai dimanche (1935), and Soigne ton gauche (1936)—and two later films he directed and starred in: L'éole des facteurs (1946), which introduces the postman character reprised in Jour de fête, and Cours du soir (1967), made during the filming of PlayTime. We're also pleased to present Dégustation maison (1977), a César-winning short by Tati's daughter Sophie Tatischeff, shot in the town from Jour de fête, and Forza Bastia (1978), a soccer documentary begun by Tati and completed by Tatischeff after his death.