6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Jacques Tati's career, which stretched from the midthirties to the late seventies, encompasses more than just the six features for which he's best known. The charming short films he wrote or directed are essential parts of his filmography as well. Collected here, they include three wacky 1930s comedies he wrote and starred in—On demande une brute (1934), Gai dimanche (1935), and Soigne ton gauche (1936)—and two later films he directed and starred in: L'ecole des facteurs (1946), which introduces the postman character reprised in Jour de fête, and Cours du soir (1967), made during the filming of PlayTime. Also included are Dégustation maison (1977), a César-winning short by Tati's daughter Sophie Tatischeff, shot in the town from Jour de fête, and Forza Bastia (1978), a soccer documentary begun by Tati and completed by Tatischeff after his death.
Starring: Jacques TatiForeign | 100% |
Documentary | 12% |
Short | 8% |
Comedy | 8% |
Sport | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
French: Dolby Digital Mono
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Tati Shorts features seven short films "On demande une brute", "Gai dimanche", "Soigne ton gauche", "L'école des facteurs", "Cours du soir", "Dégustation maison", and "Forza Bastia". Also included on the Blu-ray are two documentary films produced by Jacques Tati scholar Stephane Goudet: "Professor Goudet's Lessons" (2013) and "Tati Story" (2002). In French, with optional English subtitles for the shorts and the documentary films. Region-A "locked".
Boxers
Each of the seven short films included on this disc is granted a 1080p transfer encoded with MPEG-4. Optional English subtitles are included as well.
Please note that the screencaptures included with our review appear in the following order:
1. Screencaptures #1-5: On demande une brute
2. Screencaptures #6-11: Gai dimanche
3. Screencaptures #12-17: Soigne ton gauche
4. Screencaptures #18-23: L'école des facteurs
5. Screencaptures #24-29: Cours du soir
6. Screencaptures #30-35: Dégustation maison
7. Screencaptures #36-39: Forza Bastia
The first two shorts, On demande une brute and Gai dimanche, are the most problematic ones. There are traces of fading, minor scratches, a few specks, and some minor stability issues. There are obvious traces of fading on On demande une brute as well. The good news is that while they can look a bit rough at times both have solid organic qualities. Depth and clarity are dramatically improved on Soigne ton gauche. Contrast levels remain stable and color stability and saturation are very good. L'école des facteurs is the best looking short. It has been recently restored and detail, clarity and fluidity are simply outstanding. Shadow definition and color stability are also superb (see screencapture # 19). The final three shorts also look fabulous. Forza Bastia, in particular, has a fantastic organic appearance. On all three shorts detail, depth, clarity and fluidity are very good. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. All seven shorts have been restored in 2K. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
The first six shorts arrive with French Dolby Digital 1.0 tracks, while Forza Bastia arrives with French Dolby Digital 2.0. track. All seven shorts have optional English subtitles.
There are no technical issues to report. There are some minor fluctuations on some of the early shorts -- for example, on On demande une brute there is some light hiss and the high-frequencies are not as stable as they once were -- but on all seven shorts the dialog is stable and easy to follow. The music, where present, is also well balanced. Dynamic intensity varies on the early shorts, but the existing elements are responsible for the minor fluctuations. On the other hand, on L'école des facteurs the sound is terrific (listen to the opening music and the instructions), while on Forza Bastia depth is surprisingly good.
Most of the shorts in this collection have been previously available on other home video releases of Jacques Tati's feature films, but they have never looked this good before. The two documentary films from Stephane Goudet are also terrific. The newer one, in particular, has some excellent interviews with David Lynch, Olivier Assayas, Patrice Leconte, and Wes Anderson. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Traffic
1971
The Big Day / Holiday
1949
1974
My Uncle
1958
Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot
1953
1967
1930
Taris, roi de l'eau / La natation par Jean Taris / Jean Taris, Swimming Champion
1931
En pleine forme
1966
Fårödokument
1970
Fårödokument 1979
1979
För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor
1964
Ydessa, the Bears and etc.
2004
1964
Réponse de femmes: Notre corps, notre sexe / Women Reply: Our Bodies, Our Sex
1975
1958
1982
1966
The So-Called Caryatids
1984
1981