Movie thoughts and fiction updates.
Jacques Tati, like many other filmmakers, had projects that never got off the ground. He wrote a script title The Illusionist as one of those projects, dying without ever getting beyond the script stage. The director and animator Sylvain Chomet got his hands on it and decided that it spoke to him personally, especially the… Continue reading The Illusionist (2010)
This feels like a combination of Jacques Tati's sense of humor, an experiment from Ingmar Bergman, and the storytelling format of Federico Fellini. When Roger Ebert reviewed the film he called it a doodle, and I think that's a very good way to distill Tati's final effort, made for Swedish television. Effectively a variety show,… Continue reading Parade
There ends up a lot to enjoy in Jacques Tati's final theatrically released feature film, but I think it's obvious that Tati was best when he was given total control of everything, gobs of money, and an unusual amount of time to craft the comedy. Out in the wilds, given the road trip format of… Continue reading Trafic
Jacques Tati spent about a decade prepping, raising money for, and making his magnum opus of gentle comedy and visual gags, and it pretty much ended his career. He managed to get two more films off the ground before he died (one on Swedish television), but the expense of the film combined with its financial… Continue reading PlayTime
The Tati brand of comedy is what I would call delightful. He doesn't go for many huge laughs. It's a gentle kind of humor that is out to find a smile on the face of the audience. I have laughed out loud at several moments through his body of work, but they're the exception to… Continue reading Mon Oncle
David Vining, Author 