Jacques Tati | One of The Best Directors of All Time

[Music] jacques tati is one of the best directors of all time often categorized in the same vein as Chaplin and Keaton his films are heavily submerged in visual comedy and social commentary yet he was able to stay out of his own due to his unique style and focus on certain themes and unlike his contemporaries who began within the silent era Tati's films were born in an era of sound and took full advantage of its quality and like with Chaplin's trail Tati's who lo is just as iconic of a character appearing in almost every one of his films but in essence the most essential qualities that define Tati's work can be boiled down into these three elements [Music] [Applause] if you turn the sound off for a shiitake movie it would be maybe interesting but you'd be losing so much maybe half of the humor as David Lynch said sound is essential to Itachi experience while you can obviously view one of his films with no sound at all you lose out on a fundamental piece of the film most gags within his films wouldn't work with a bigger soundscape they'd get mixed in with all the other sounds of the world and become atmospheric but when you allow silence to have a presence emphasizing distinct sounds it allows your observation Totti wants the viewer to become an active observer paying attention to what's happening around them rather than focusing on a single thing this concept also ties into most of the dialogue within his families you almost never hear a full conversation only certain words or phrases it's quite accurate to real-life when you're walking down a street or at a social event you occasionally hear a word or sentence from someone that catches your attention you don't know the full context behind the conversation but it intrigues you just for that moment and that's what Tottie's dialog recreates he also implements mixed languages having characters speak in English French and so on making the dialogue less weighty and more meaningless even though sound is so vastly important with an itachi film there's an impressive balance between the visuals and sound the sounds and visuals presented anatot a picture by near equal in importance there's another dependency over one or the other all of this works together in order to create a unique viewing experience you [Music] before jacques tati even made a film he would perform at music halls as a profession then world war ii occurred and he fought alongside the French till 1940 when the German French armed assist was enacted it wasn't until after world war ii finished that Tati began focusing on film as a career starting to enjoyed the fete so why am i mentioning this well Tati noticed the silent transformations that were occurring not only within France but the world as a whole post-world War two this observation inspired many of the themes and concepts embedded within his work his first three films embody this influence the most zelda fete follows a postman trying to compete with the technological advancements within America's Postal Service Mancha who lost holiday is said in a post award war to society displaying many characters who exude its effects Mon Oncle showcases the growing reliance on technology modern architecture and the destruction of old France and these critiques aren't directed at technology or modern architecture at all but rather the way people in society rely upon them now this isn't the only topic of discussion Tati focused on there's a number of consistent themes that appear within his work from under Nettie childlike creativity and technology societal structures and so on and while a lot of these critiques that Tati brings to the table could come off as stubborn or cynical they never do it's always light-hearted and playful poking fun of these things rather than being dismissive Tati always found humor and everything an accentuated a as a form of entertainment you upon first glance it seems weird to contribute jacques tati as an element that defines his own work but unlike other directors Tati plays a vital role within each one of his films from the postman - who lo - even hosting the performance and parade Tati always played a character but at the same time he was never the main focus he often blends in with the crowd I completely disappears for sections of his films the main character is often the world and its supporting cast and the amount of input Tati had with each element of his films should not be neglected he would use non actors to play characters the drunk man in playtime was an amateur film maker who wanted to show Tati some of his work the group of women were all wives of American men at a military base in France and because so many of these actors had little to no experience Tati directed them in a unique way mimicking every action and physique of each character this also ties into his belief that physical performances deliver more to an audience than subtle ones it's why almost all of his films are shot wide with the entire body and frame now you may have already realized this but Tati was a perfectionist he made three different versions of Mencia who loves holiday updating the theme changing many sounds and finding the perfect runtime he constructed many intricate buildings from one old leading eventually to play times Tati view an entire studio lot dedicated as a set this included massive interiors and exteriors ultimately forming the modernistic Paris where Tati's film took place Tati spent over three years shooting play time and financially took a hit after its failure at the box office he lost his house rights to his films and filed for bankruptcy and even though he was able to make two more films afterward he died a bitter man in 1980 til a tragic loss for film Jacques Tati is one of the best directors of all time intrinsically weaving comedy and satire into his films as well as utilizing sound to enhance the experience and guide the audience along he was not only able to push the boundaries of comedy but film itself and even though the struggles Tati faced after playtime were tragic he'd never want anyone to focus on that his films at the end of the day about passing creativity and the essence of fun to a younger generation hoping that they'll continue to exude that light-hearted and shout like nature that he embodied Tati wanted the audience to see a little more poetry enjoy in life and knew that the true film began once you left the theater [Music] you

Channel: Elijah Cinema

Views: 30,889

Keywords: Jacques Tati, Tati, French, Cinema, Film, Playtime, Mr. Hulot, Hulot, Mon Oncle, Comedy, Slapstick, criterion collection, French Comedy, French movie, best directors of all time, Best filmmakers, best movies of all time, One of The Best Directors of All Time, Parade, Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot, Monsieur Hulot's Holiday, Trafic, 1960s film, 1970s film, Art films, Funny movies, charlie chaplin, buster keaton, mr. bean, cinéma, criterion channel, Tarantino, David Lynch, Jour De Fete

Id: 5ex7rnx4JeA

Length: 8min 30sec (510 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 26 2020