(So ok, maybe I don't hate ALL mimes...)
There have been many famous French directors in the history of cinema, but few have been as universally loved as Jacques Tati. A former mime, his films are sight-based observational comedies, featuring long stretches without dialogue. Often you're just watching Jacques Tati himself, either as his famous Monsieur Hulot or as some other character, spectacularly failing to do something in a normal way.
Then again, watch a bit closer and you see him questioning what's normal anyway. Most of the time, any bumbling from the main characters results from the fact that the "normal" thing they try to do is actually pretty stupid already, maybe considered appropriate by modern society but hardly logical. Tati was one of the best slapstick artists on the planet, one who mixed a lot of social criticism in his stuntwork.
In France, distributor Universal Studio Canal Video now has released a boxset, containing Blu-rays of all Jacques Tati's feature films, and plenty of shorts and documentaries. The good news is that a similar boxset is planned for release in the United Kingdom as well, and all the Blu-rays are therefore in French and English. That's right: all discs have English menus, if so chosen, and even the extras have English subtitles.
The bad news, for some of us, is that all discs are region-coded "B", meaning they can only be played in Europe and Australia. For people wanting (or needing) region "A" discs, the only solace is that Criterion is rumored to be planning a similar set in the United States, but, well... so far, that remains just a rumor.
But for those in region "B" or who have a region free player, this is one fine set to own. And its packaging is gorgeous as well, so have a good rummage through the picture gallery below!
So this is the outer box.
It's a big sturdy cardboard box, but... (next picture)
... but it's actually a double slipcase! A nicely decorated one too.
Seen from the other side, which is even nicer.
All contents taken out: six feature films, a collection of shorts, and a 56-page booklet.
All contents opened. I really love the decoration and consistent lay-out of all discs here.
Next we focus a bit more on the contents, starting with the seven discs.
Jour de Fête
Included on this disc are three versions of the film: the 1949 release, the 1964 re-release and the 1994 color version.
As an extra, there is the documentary American Style, which is as long as the film it describes.
Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot
Included on this disc are two versions of the film: the 1953 release, and the 1978 restored version.
As an extra, there is a 39-minute documentary.
Mon Oncle
Included on this disc are two versions of the film: the 1958 release, and the English version from the same year, which was called My Uncle, and was ten minutes shorter.
As extras there are plenty of small documentaries, focusing on the looks and messages in the film, totaling up to more than 100 minutes together.
Playtime
This is the digitally restored 1967 film, Tati's longest at over two hours. As extras there are two documentaries of about 20 minutes each, and 24 minutes of selected scenes in the film contain commentary tracks.
Noteworthy: the extras mention that an original 30-minute longer cut existed, which was tested on audiences in France. Alas, that extra footage seems to be lost (those 30 minutes are also not on the US Criterion Blu-ray).
Trafic
You get the film, and a 15-minute bonus interview with film critic Jonathan Romney. Extras-wise this one is meager, but the film itself looks better than I've ever seen it.
Parade
You get the film, and a 29-minute analysis by Stéphane Goudet (who provides roughly 99% of all extras in this boxset, it seems).
The last disc has a collection of short films, made between 1936 and 1978:
On Demande une Brute
Gai Dimanche
Soigne ton Gauche
L'École des Facteurs
Cours du Soir
Dégustation Maison
Forza Bastia
Also included is a 31-minute documentary on general themes in Tati's work, and his influences.
A closer look at that 56-page booklet. Each film is covered with at least the poster and some liner notes. With only a few pages for each film, it's lightweight but still pretty good! It is in French, and the only extra in this set which isn't English-friendly.