IMDb RATING
7.0/10
7.5K
YOUR RATING
Mr. Hulot drives a recreational vehicle from Paris to Amsterdam in his usual comical, disastrous style.Mr. Hulot drives a recreational vehicle from Paris to Amsterdam in his usual comical, disastrous style.Mr. Hulot drives a recreational vehicle from Paris to Amsterdam in his usual comical, disastrous style.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
Jacques Tati
- Monsieur Hulot
- (as Mr. Hulot)
François Maisongrosse
- François
- (as F. Maisongrosse)
Marco Zuanelli
- Mechanic
- (as Mario Zanuelli)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe end scene (people walking with umbrellas between parked cars) was shot on the parking lot of the then still functioning Amsterdam Ford factory.
- GoofsSeveral (Dutch) license plates can be seen on various different vehicles, sometimes even in the same shot. For instance the license plate "FT-92-65" can be seen in the petrol station scene on both a Peugeot 504 and a Chrysler 180. Later the same plate is on a Peugeot 204 passing in front of the exhibition center. In the "road rage" scene the number 76-04-NF is on both the Renault 16 and the Citroën ID. Shortly after the same plate is on an Opel Kadett parked in front of the exhibition center.
- Quotes
Radio Announcer: The Cyclone 70. A new raincoat... especially made for the sun.
- Crazy creditsIn the opening credits, Tati is billed simply as "M. Hulot." He does, of course, use his real name for his writing and directing credits.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Omnibus: Monsieur Hulot's Work (1976)
Featured review
The Conventional Hulot
Jacques Tati attempts to drastically transform his alter ego for the final installment of the Hulot series, and naturally you can't blame him (one being that this comes after the financial disaster of Playtime, but especially because of the fact that he has added dimensions to Hulot in every film) but in most respects, Traffic is considerably stunted. It's still quite good, but a serious disappointment after Holiday, Oncle, and Playtime, which after ascending in genius and brilliance, there would be no place to go but down.
Traffic has the most conventional plot of the entire series - there's a set goal (getting the Altra car to the convention) - but rather than making the film more accessible, it only makes it more alien. All the Hulot films are blithely and happily adrift, propelled only by its jokes and reoccurring characters, but in the case of having a clear goal in mind, the deliberate slow pacing begins to weigh the film down. Because we are anticipating their arrival at the car show, throughout the movie we wonder what's in store and the build-up creates impatience, rather than the usual relaxation. If Tati was going for accessibility and conventionality, why didn't he employ a faster, three-act structure?
It's unfortunate to see gone the Hulot of old who was content on just walking around for days; in Trafic he's constantly running around doing busy work (he's on screen for nearly half the movie but actually doesn't do much of anything noteworthy). Like in the other films, he never knows what to do with himself and the world doesn't know what to do with him, but in Trafic, the problem is that this is a world Hulot created: he designed the Altra and it is he who wants to get it to the car show. He is imposing himself on the world, rather than the world that is crashing down on him and him fighting back, so the gags and observations aren't as pure or natural.
The stops the mini-caravan makes and the exploration of new roadside towns are perfect opportunities to bring back the old Hulot, but Tati seems almost afraid to let the world come to Hulot on their own terms. Scenes like two kids playing a beautiful tune on an acoustic by a lake or Hulot arriving at a convenience store feel like set-ups for great scenes which were left on the editing room floor.
I still really enjoyed the movie (there are some inspired visuals and Hulot is Hulot; it's always great to see him on the screen) but these were specific negative points I thought were worth bringing up.
6/10
Traffic has the most conventional plot of the entire series - there's a set goal (getting the Altra car to the convention) - but rather than making the film more accessible, it only makes it more alien. All the Hulot films are blithely and happily adrift, propelled only by its jokes and reoccurring characters, but in the case of having a clear goal in mind, the deliberate slow pacing begins to weigh the film down. Because we are anticipating their arrival at the car show, throughout the movie we wonder what's in store and the build-up creates impatience, rather than the usual relaxation. If Tati was going for accessibility and conventionality, why didn't he employ a faster, three-act structure?
It's unfortunate to see gone the Hulot of old who was content on just walking around for days; in Trafic he's constantly running around doing busy work (he's on screen for nearly half the movie but actually doesn't do much of anything noteworthy). Like in the other films, he never knows what to do with himself and the world doesn't know what to do with him, but in Trafic, the problem is that this is a world Hulot created: he designed the Altra and it is he who wants to get it to the car show. He is imposing himself on the world, rather than the world that is crashing down on him and him fighting back, so the gags and observations aren't as pure or natural.
The stops the mini-caravan makes and the exploration of new roadside towns are perfect opportunities to bring back the old Hulot, but Tati seems almost afraid to let the world come to Hulot on their own terms. Scenes like two kids playing a beautiful tune on an acoustic by a lake or Hulot arriving at a convenience store feel like set-ups for great scenes which were left on the editing room floor.
I still really enjoyed the movie (there are some inspired visuals and Hulot is Hulot; it's always great to see him on the screen) but these were specific negative points I thought were worth bringing up.
6/10
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- Jun 22, 2003
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Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $51,303
- Runtime1 hour 36 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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