- Jacques Tati's Mr. Hulot's Holiday is a strange, whimsical vacation to a destination located just out of range of the human ear. It's not a silent film by any means -- in fact, ambient sound and a repeated melody are key pieces of the soundtrack -- but I would describe the majority of the dialogue as "impressionistic." This well-directed film is content to let its characters' actions do the talking, and what is communicated is simply a week of good, clean fun at the beach.
- If there is a star of the show, it's the eponymous M. Hulot, played by Tati himself. Hulot is one of those odd fellows who would come across as a tourist even in his own home. Arriving in a memorable jalopy containing an engine that sounds as though its combustions are not exclusively internal, Hulot proceeds to bumble and stumble around the beachfront resort. He tries to eat with the other diners, but manages only to have his sleeve serve as a neighbor's napkin. His attempts at boat repair depend upon a paintcan that moves with the tides. Don't even ask what happens when he listens to the radio or tries out his tennis serve.
- Unlike most of the classic silent films, the humor here is often very subtle. My favorite gag, for instance, involves a cook who carves cuts of beef according to the width of the restaurant's patrons. Blink once, and you might miss it. While I tend to appreciate film subtlety in any form, I'll admit that I didn't find Mr. Hulot's Holiday to be nearly as amusing as the great silent comedies, but perhaps that is unfair. Its closest modern analogue may be Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean, who is every bit as awkward and taciturn as M. Hulot, even if he is decidedly less polite and subtle. My tastes lean toward Atkinson over Tati, but maybe that reveals more about me than the relative quality of the two comedians.
- Christopher Lee dubbed the English version of the film...scary!
