Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Tati Shorts Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 17, 2014

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

The seventh and final disc in The Complete Jacques Tati box set contains seven short films. Jacques Tati contributed to the first six. The final one, Forza Bastia, was directed by his daughter, Sophie Tatischeff.

On demande une brute (1934)

Jacques Tati co-wrote Brute Wanted with Rene Clement (Purple Noon, The Damned). He plays a desperate artist who responds to a vague newspaper ad from a company looking to hire “a young man specializing in violent roles.” He gets the job and shortly after is sent by his new boss to fight the great Krotov the Tartar in a sold-out boxing match. Though not as well executed, the fight reminds of Charlie Chaplin’s clash with the tough boxer in City Lights. The short was directed by Charles Barrois. (00.25.01).

Gai dimanche! (1935)

Jacques Tati co-wrote Fun Sunday with Enrico Sprocani, a popular clown better known under the alias of Rhum. The two play ambitious scoundrels who purchase an old bus hoping to get rich by offering tourists quick tours to the countryside. However, Soon after the first clients arrive, they realize that their business plan may not be as good as initially thought. The performances are rather uneven, but it is already easy to see that Jacques Tati had the potential to become a great comedian. The short was directed by Jacques Burr. (00.21.30).

Soigne ton gauche (1936)

In this early short film, Jacques Tati plays a young farmer dreaming of becoming a boxer. He gets a chance to show how good he is when a professional boxer training in his village invites him to be his sparring partner. Some of Jacques Tati's moves in this short are really good. There is also a very funny looking postman (Max Martel), who quickly creates the type of chaos that exists in Jacques Tati's feature films. The short was written by Jacques Tati and directed by Rene Clement. (00.13.23).

L'école des facteurs (1946)

The funny postman from Jour de Fête first appeared in this short titled School for Postmen (and a number of the gags seen here later on also appeared in Jour de fete). After completing a training course, the postman does his best to be as efficient as possible and in the process confuses a lot of the people around him. School for Postmen was the first film Jacques Tati directed alone. (00.16.05).

Cours du soir (1967)

In Evening Classes, Jacques Tati plays an acting instructor with an impressive arsenal of facial expressions who teaches a group of students the art of impersonation. The short was shot during the production of PlayTime by Jacques Tati's assistant, Nicolas Ribowski. (00.28.36).

Degustation Maison (1977)

The entire short takes place in a small patisserie run by a middle-age woman named Christiane, whose tasty tartlets are incredibly popular amongst her male customers. Jacques Tati's daughter, Sophie Tatischeff, shot the short in a cafe in Sainte-Severe-sur-Indre, the small town seen in Jour de fete. (00.13.58).

Forza Bastia (1978)

In Festive Island, a Corsican town comes alive after the local soccer team reaches the European Cup finals for the first time. (Bastia met Dutch team PSV Eindhoven). Jacques Tati never finished editing the short. His daughter, Sophie Tatischeff, discovered the footage after he passed away and completed the short. (00.27.37).

Tati Shorts Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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).

Tati Shorts Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Tati Shorts Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Professor Goudet's Lessons - in this very entertaining and illuminating video program, scholar Stephane Goudet highlights and discusses the many unique qualities of Jacques Tati's films (the specific use of sound and dialog, the importance of observation, the precise choreography of the gags, the carefully designed sets, the socio-political overtones, etc). The program is broken into multiple lessons, each separated by hilarious commercials created by Tati. Included in lessons are clips from interviews with Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums), scenarist/author Jean-Claude Carriere (Belle de jour, Viva Maria!), David Lynch (Mulholland Drive), Olivier Assayas (Carlos, Something in the Air), Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Mood Indigo), and Patrice Leconte (The Girl on the Bridge, The Hairdresser's Husband), amongst others. The program was created in 2013. In French and English, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (32 min, 1080i).

• Tati Story - this documentary focuses on the life and legacy of Jacques Tati. The entire documentary is essentially one big collection of clips from Tati's film, archival photographs, production stills, and archival footage. The documentary was produced by Stephane Goudet in 2002. In French, with optional English subtitles. (21 min, 1080i).

• Booklet - a booklet featuring essays by critics David Cairns, James Quandt, Jonathan Rosenbaum, and Kristin Ross. (Please note that the booklet is included inside the box set).

Tati Shorts Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.