Rent Jour De Fete (1949)

3.7 of 5 from 97 ratings
1h 16min
Rent Jour De Fete (aka The Big Day) Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
A festive day in Sainte-Severe: the fairground entertainers have arrived, accompanied by their caravans, a merry-go-round and even a travelling cinema, showing the awe-struck villagers a documentary on the modern methods of the American postal service. With his old bicycle and single-minded resolve, Francois, the local postman (Jacques Tati) does his best to emulate his American colleagues.
Actors:
, , , Santa Relli, Maine Vallée, , Delcassan, , , , Alexandre Wirtz
Directors:
Producers:
Fred Orain, André Paulvé
Writers:
Jacques Tati, Henri Marquet
Aka:
The Big Day
Studio:
BFI Video
Genres:
Classics, Comedy
Collections:
10 Films to Watch if You Like: Amarcord, A Brief History of the Tradition of Quality, Films to Watch If You Like..., A Brief History of Film..., Top 10 Cycling Films, Top Films, What to Watch If You Liked Monsieur Hulot's Holiday?
Countries:
France
Awards:

1949 Venice Film Festival Best Screen Play

BBFC:
Release Date:
29/11/2004
Run Time:
76 minutes
Languages:
French
Subtitles:
English
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Original trailers for Les Vacances de M. Hulot, Mon Oncle and Playtime
BBFC:
Release Date:
29/10/2012
Run Time:
244 minutes
Languages:
French Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Subtitles:
English
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.37:1
Colour:
Colour and B & W
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • "American Style", an analytical film by Stephane Goudet (81 Mins)
  • Trailer

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Reviews (2) of Jour De Fete

Fun - Jour De Fete review by JD

Spoiler Alert
24/12/2011

If you are the sort of minority interest viewer who is not put off by the fact that this is subtitled, family viewing and filmed in 1949, then this is just for you. Witty, light-hearted innocent and wonderfully evocative of a holiday in rural France. By 'ek you can smell the sun on t' olive tree. The postman character is slap stick, but in a manner quite different to Keaton/Chaplin. Much more personable, and distinctly French. Although it is entirely suitable viewing for any age the humour would be lost on viewers between 8 and 20.

0 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

S' il vous plait, monsieur Postman - Jour De Fete review by CH

Spoiler Alert
31/01/2021

How can one review Jacques Tati? To watch him is to surrender willingly to a mood which some call slapstick, others the higher whimsy. As with Chaplin and Keaton before him, there is an inner logic to the absurd situations in which he finds himself as a simple man up against the System. In his first feature Jour de Fête (1949) he is a postman in a country town where, for Bastille Day, a flagpole is being erected, at which his assistance is, fortunately for us, inept. Duly plied with alcohol, he is goaded at the showing in a tent of a film about the extraordinary American innovation in delivering mail across that continent - a matter of aeroplanes and helicopters.

Inspired, deluded, he feels sure that he and his bicycle can match this locally. No more dawdling, he is determined the next day to ensure that this holiday he will be more hard-working than ever.

And so it is that the bicycle, often filmed - somehow - with a phantom life of its own, it traverses the lanes and squares at the mercy of a vacant saddle. Against the odds, the wheels survive many a tumble as the hapless Tati chases after it.

As one hoots, mere prose cannot match these visual delights, nor can one rise to the heights of Jean Yatove's jaunty music. The film was made in both colour and, as a safety measure, black and white, but, in the late-Forties, it was impossible to process the former, and so for a long while it was not seen as intended. Restoration of the colour brings a new-dimension to the film: it has a pleasingly bleached quality, one might say the equivalent of sepia; it is perfectly suited to the twin forces of a tranquil town against which Tati's frantic activities take place.

In this bleak midwinter, can there be any better way of alleviating the spirits than watching this with some pastis to hand?

0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

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