TATI, JACQUES

Tati, Jacques: translation

(1907-1982)

Actor and director. Jacques Tati was born Jacques Tatischeff in Le Pecq. He studied the arts while also practicing boxing, rugby, and tennis. He worked in cabarets and music halls where he used his athletic talent to imitate famous sports players. He entered the cinema as a screenwriter and actor in Jacques Forrester'sOscar,champion de tennis(1932). He later scripted and acted in Charles Barrois'sOn demande une brute(1934), Jacques Berr'sGai dimanche(1935), andRené Clement'sSoigne ta gauche(1936) andRetour à la terre(1938). After World War II, he acted inClaude Autant-Lara'sSylvie et Le fantôme(1946) andLe diable au corps(1946).

Tati directed his first film, the short comedyL'École des facteurs, in 1947.It was also the inspiration for his first feature film,Jour de fête(1949), which was the top-selling French film in France in 1949. The film was nominated for best script at the Venice Film Festival. Tati's next films wereLes Vacances de Monsieur Hulot(1953), which won thePrix Louis-Dellucand received an Oscar nomination, andMon oncle(1958). LikeJour de fête, these comedies portray France's transformation into a modern industrial state. The character Monsieur Hulot, played by Tati himself, reemerged in his later films.

Tati's fourth film,Playtime(1967), was not as successful as the previous films but has been lauded by critics as a precursor to post-modern filmmaking and as a work of cinematic genius. Tati's last completed films wereTrafic(1971) andParade(1974). Tati is sometimes seen as an example of whatFrançois Truffautdubbedle cinéma de papa, but he is best known for his meticulous directing, his revival of silent comedy, his creative use of sound, his brilliant comic acting, and his humorous portrayals of the social effects of modern mechanical gadgets. The intense preparation he spent on his films resulted in a career that was not prolific but much admired and widely successful.