Post by klep on Jul 27, 2020 7:16:19 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 7/27: Monsieur Hulot's Holiday
SUMMER WEEK!
Note: This essay was graciously provided by a guest contributor.
One morning, I believe it was my junior year in high school, my Spanish teacher was absent. The substitute showed up a little late. He was carrying a double bass. He opened the door. I'm not sure he actually took roll. Maybe he passed around a sign-in sheet. He set down the bass, moved the TV to the front of the room, put in a tape, and sat back down again. The movie was in French, not Spanish, but it didn't hugely matter. While there's dialogue to the movie, it's not all that important. The film isn't silent, but for the most part, it might as well be mute.
M. Hulot (Jacques Tati, who of course also wrote and directed the film) has gone on holiday. Hence title. He is visiting a small seaside resort, the town of Saint-Marc-sur-Mer. It's a standard middle class town, and he's in a standard middle class hotel. He goes through his time there blissfully unaware of the havoc he's causing around him, unaware of his past or his future. The other guests all have their concerns and interests, but Hulot doesn't notice them much, either. He gets along with them okay, for the most part, but there's always a sense of distance.
This is a painful time for a lot of us to think of such a lighthearted vacation. It's impossible to live in the moment the way Hulot does right now; watching a scene where strangers are standing next to one another, touching, sharing tables at meals, seems so strange in this time of plague. The idea of just being able to go out to the seaside, free and easy, not worrying about anything is one of the most delightful fantasies I can think of right now. Going to a beach isn't even my ideal vacation, but it's better than the nothing I'm getting these days. I think a lot of us can feel that way.
Then there's Tati himself, a complicated man as many geniuses are. He allowed his sister to persuade him to not recognize his first child, and that shouldn't be something you should be able to persuade someone to do. But he was also a brilliant physical comedian, an artist in the tradition of silent film. I've seen several of his films, and I'm not sure the dialogue has mattered in any of them. He honestly might've had a stronger career if he'd been twenty years older. This is not a slam on the dialogue here, but it's not necessary to most of the movie.
I'm not sure the summer as Tati portrayed it existed at the time he portrayed it; certainly it never has for the poor. It's not more distant to me this summer than it was last. But it feels more distant now; the movie feels more nostalgic this summer than it did before. And, yes, it also makes me nostalgic for that day in high school, a day when I clearly had a lot less responsibility than I do now. Even the substitute didn't expect anything from me. I'd ask him, but I'm pretty sure even he doesn't remember if he expected so much as my name.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 8/3: Aguirre, the Wrath of God
MIND YOUR SURROUNDINGS WEEK!
Venture with us next into the Peruvian Amazon and the combined madness of Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski with Aguirre, the Wrath of God. This classic film makes you feel the oppression of its dangerous environment as the Spaniards slowly succumb to the consequences of their hubris. Join us next week for our discussion of Aguirre, the Wrath of God, available on Prime Video and the Criterion Channel as well as for rent in the usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 8/4: Palm Springs
Next week the podcast concludes its time loop pairing with the new Palm Springs starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti. Join us Wednesday for our discussion of this film, available on Hulu.
SUMMER WEEK!
Note: This essay was graciously provided by a guest contributor.
One morning, I believe it was my junior year in high school, my Spanish teacher was absent. The substitute showed up a little late. He was carrying a double bass. He opened the door. I'm not sure he actually took roll. Maybe he passed around a sign-in sheet. He set down the bass, moved the TV to the front of the room, put in a tape, and sat back down again. The movie was in French, not Spanish, but it didn't hugely matter. While there's dialogue to the movie, it's not all that important. The film isn't silent, but for the most part, it might as well be mute.
M. Hulot (Jacques Tati, who of course also wrote and directed the film) has gone on holiday. Hence title. He is visiting a small seaside resort, the town of Saint-Marc-sur-Mer. It's a standard middle class town, and he's in a standard middle class hotel. He goes through his time there blissfully unaware of the havoc he's causing around him, unaware of his past or his future. The other guests all have their concerns and interests, but Hulot doesn't notice them much, either. He gets along with them okay, for the most part, but there's always a sense of distance.
This is a painful time for a lot of us to think of such a lighthearted vacation. It's impossible to live in the moment the way Hulot does right now; watching a scene where strangers are standing next to one another, touching, sharing tables at meals, seems so strange in this time of plague. The idea of just being able to go out to the seaside, free and easy, not worrying about anything is one of the most delightful fantasies I can think of right now. Going to a beach isn't even my ideal vacation, but it's better than the nothing I'm getting these days. I think a lot of us can feel that way.
Then there's Tati himself, a complicated man as many geniuses are. He allowed his sister to persuade him to not recognize his first child, and that shouldn't be something you should be able to persuade someone to do. But he was also a brilliant physical comedian, an artist in the tradition of silent film. I've seen several of his films, and I'm not sure the dialogue has mattered in any of them. He honestly might've had a stronger career if he'd been twenty years older. This is not a slam on the dialogue here, but it's not necessary to most of the movie.
I'm not sure the summer as Tati portrayed it existed at the time he portrayed it; certainly it never has for the poor. It's not more distant to me this summer than it was last. But it feels more distant now; the movie feels more nostalgic this summer than it did before. And, yes, it also makes me nostalgic for that day in high school, a day when I clearly had a lot less responsibility than I do now. Even the substitute didn't expect anything from me. I'd ask him, but I'm pretty sure even he doesn't remember if he expected so much as my name.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 8/3: Aguirre, the Wrath of God
MIND YOUR SURROUNDINGS WEEK!
Venture with us next into the Peruvian Amazon and the combined madness of Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski with Aguirre, the Wrath of God. This classic film makes you feel the oppression of its dangerous environment as the Spaniards slowly succumb to the consequences of their hubris. Join us next week for our discussion of Aguirre, the Wrath of God, available on Prime Video and the Criterion Channel as well as for rent in the usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 8/4: Palm Springs
Next week the podcast concludes its time loop pairing with the new Palm Springs starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti. Join us Wednesday for our discussion of this film, available on Hulu.