Jour de fête
A film by Jacques Tati
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 fête 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’.
Format
Special features
- Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition.
- Jour de fete (1964 version).
- Soigne ton gauche (Rene Clement, 1936, 12 mins, DVD only): Tati stars as a farmhand in this boxing comedy.
- L’ecole des facteurs (Jacques Tati, 1947, 13 mins, DVD only): The first short directed by Tati which was later expanded to become Jour de fete.
- Cours de soir (Nicholas Ribowski, 1967, 27 mins, DVD only): Tati stars as a teacher of mime in an evening class.
- Jour de fete trailer (DVD only).
- Fully illustrated booklet with film notes and credits.
Credits
Year
1949
Country
France
Product information
Certificate
U
Colour
Colour and Black/white
Languages
French
Subtitles
English
Original aspect ratio
1.33:1
DVD region
- 2 Europe (except Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus), Middle East, Egypt, Japan, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Greenland, French Overseas departments and territories
Blu-ray region
- B - Includes most European and Middle-Eastern countries, all of Africa, Australia and New Zealand
Catalogue number
BFIB1048