Jour de Fête
With Jacques Tati, Paul Frankeur, Guy Decomble.
France, 1949, 35mm, color and b&w, 70 min.
French with English subtitles.
Shooting on experimental (and now extinct) Thomson-color film stock, Tati conceived his ambitious first feature in terms of color, comic timing, and an inventive use of sound. The black-and-white print circulating since the film’s release (Tati shot on black-and-white as well, rightly fearing a laboratory might not be able to make a color print) was replaced by this 1964 version, which Tati himself re-cut and hand-colored with stencils. A mime before he became a filmmaker, Tati brings his extraordinary genius for visual comedy to the starring role of a village postman determined to emulate the efficacy of the American Postal service he sees represented in a film at the traveling fair.
PRECEDED BY
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Chuck Jones Shorts
Directed by Chuck Jones.
Shorts by the legendary Warner Bros. animation director. A vital figure in the Golden Age of American Animation, Jones’ drawings brought characters like Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig to life; his own iconic creations include Pepe le Pew, Wile E. Coyote, and the Road Runner.
