JACQUES TATI: Jour de Fete (1949)

In a small village somewhere in France, the fairground people arrive for the carnival day. Along with the other stuff they carry, they set up a mobile cinema, where a documentary on the superb ways the American postmen have to efficiently and quickly deliver mail is presented. This is the cause for all the inhabitants to start teasing François, the postman, about his own lazy and slow way of post delivering. François decides to do his round the American way….

This is Jacques Tati’s first full-length movie, where some of the characteristics that mark his later films are present, and among them is the use of sound. Dialogues are often merged with the background noise, giving to other sounds – chickens clucks , horns, the bicycle’s bell rattle, dogs barks, doors creaks, birds tweeters, horse neighing, engines roars, insects buzzing, - the privilege of interfering with the plot, in the most hilarious ways.

Jacques Tati as Francois the postman, by Robert Doisneau

Below is a sample of music merged with such sounds; just to have a taste… (Audio extracted from the film)

And here is the film's soundtrack found at this compilation:

Extraits Des Bandes Originales Des Films De Jacques Tati (1967) (5,1 MB)

Chemisettes (01:14)
Jour de fête / Jean Yatove
Jour de fête (01:42)
Jour de fête / Jean Yatove
Chanson des forains (01:15)
Jour de fête / Jean Yatove
Tournée rapide (01:31)
Jour de fête / Jean Yatove

Jacques Tati official page: http://www.tativille.com/

For Jacques Tati and his work we’ll speak again.