The Video Station: (303) 440-4448 » Jacques Tati http://thevideostation.com/blog 1661 28th St Boulder, CO (303) 440-4448 Tue, 22 May 2012 17:48:53 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 THE ILLUSIONIST – Reviewed by Will http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/05/12/the-illusionist-reviewed-by-will/ http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/05/12/the-illusionist-reviewed-by-will/#comments Thu, 12 May 2011 18:22:54 +0000 The Video Station Staff http://thevideostation.com/blog/?p=4723 The Illusionist isn’t just the long-awaited second feature from Sylvain Chomet, the French animator who made 2003′s charmingly grotesque, hauntingly comic Triplets of Belleville. It’s also, in a sense, a new film from the great mime artist turned genius director Jacques Tati (Playtime, Mon Oncle), who died in 1982. Adapted from a semi-autobiographical script Tati wrote in 1956 but never produced, it is a much gentler, sweeter film than Triplets, but lacks none of the latter’s texture and caricature. Its title character, an aging magician confronted with an increasingly modern and flashy world, is essentially Tati himself. In an isolated Scottish coastal town, he meets a young girl who delights in his subtle, winking tricks. Together they move on to Edinburgh, more as father and daughter than couple, and live together happily–for a time.

Like Tati’s other stories, this one is not strongly plot-driven. It is, rather, an establishment of setting and mood punctuated by endlessly clever yet understated comic setpieces. Though all of Tati’s films have an undercurrent of nostalgic melancholy, Illusionist serves up a sharper, more intimate sting, presumably due to the more personal nature of the story he wrote, and perhaps why he never could produce it himself.

This is a gorgeous film to look at. Chomet’s style of animation, both here and in Belleville, recalls Disney’s middle-period animated features from the 60′s through the 80′s, which were a riot of pencil-drawn spontaneity and dusky watercolor depths. His character designs blend sharply exaggerated caricature and naturalistic proportions. His use of computer-aided animation is more prominent here, but never heavy-handed or gimmicky. At one point, we even see the real Tati meet his re-animated counterpart.

It’s also plenty funny, but, true to Tati, more full of wise winks and smiles than belly laughs. Chomet and Tati share a love of visual humor–neither director’s films have much essential dialogue–teasing us, for instance, with a shot from behind of a Scotsman on a little motorboat, his kilt blowing in the wind. Or a nice little scene where the penniless magician takes a job at an auto garage and tends to a rich Texan’s ostentatious Cadillac–classic Tati, with Chomet’s satirical barbed twist (the license plate reads “B1G-A55″).

It’s appropriate that a film about a magician should itself be intrinsically and self-evidently magical. But I’m convinced that those who approach The Illusionist familiar not only with Chomet’s work but with Tati’s will find it downright exhilarating, as I did. Therefore I will end this review with an aggressive plug for Tati’s films–particularly 1967′s Playtime. To use my favorite facile tagline for it, it’s like the cinematic equivalent of “Where’s Waldo?” Be sure to watch it on as big a screen as you can–with Criterion’s Blu-Ray disc if possible. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Animation/Comedy/Drama

Rated PG

DVD Release Date: 5/10/11

]]> http://thevideostation.com/blog/2011/05/12/the-illusionist-reviewed-by-will/feed/ 1 PLAY TIME (Criterion Collection) – Reviewed by Jeremy http://thevideostation.com/blog/2009/08/20/play-time-criterion-collection-reviewed-by-jeremy/ http://thevideostation.com/blog/2009/08/20/play-time-criterion-collection-reviewed-by-jeremy/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:58:57 +0000 The Video Station Staff http://thevideostation.com/blog/?p=1600 Beeping consoles. Whirring Fans. The sounds of malfunctioning, T.V. shopping-network-bought products. These are just a few of the things that come into mind when I hear the name Jacques Tati. Play Time (1973), while already having its place in the Criterion library, is now released unto us via the Blu-Ray disc format, and for those of you snoozing at the theaters with films chock-full of drab dialogue and uneventful cinematography, here’s the film for you. Sure, Play Time isn’t moved by narration and dialogue between the characters, but its imaginative cinematography and elaborate choreography have allowed me to watch it over and over again. It seems each time I see Play Time I’m able to find something new that I hadn’t noticed in the past. When watching Play Time, keep in mind that these are not just citizens of the streets of Paris but rather placed on set by the director and his crew. Everything is an intention and the amount of detail and work is inspiring. Criterion’s Blu-Ray release holds true and is an outstanding upgrade. The picture’s sharp, and the depth of field is more impressive. Tati’s odd and quirky humor comes through strongly in Play Time, which along with Akira Kurosawa’s Kagemusha, are now available for the Blu-Ray users and I highly recommend both, as Criterion tends to do a more than outstanding job on all video transfers. Pick up both if you have the time. – [Blu-Ray]

Comedy

Not Rated

DVD Release Date: 8/19/09

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