Reviews of Trafic
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Teddy Cheong
25Apr09
Trafic is the bookend to one of cinema’s most memorable and enduring icons in M. Hulot. Rather than about automobiles, this is all about the mannerisms and predicaments that have developed out of our increasingly auto-centric societies; watching this film, you will undoubtedly be amused because they all seem familiar to anyone who’s been driving for a while now (and perhaps you may have picked your nose from time to time also). This isn’t as ambitious as Playtime but I believe it hits closer to home as this is more or less the world we live in right now. If you’ve seen any of Tati’s films, you know what to expect.
- Currently 4.0/5 Stars.
asuraf
1Dec08
The best thing about Criterion’s new release of this Jacques Tati comedy, his last effort as his famed alter ego M. Hulot, is an accompanying 1989 documentary by the legendary director’s daughter Sophie, seven years after his death, a feature length examination of the Tati genius that never quite outlived the enormous success of the first two Hulot films. It’s also welcome to finally have “Trafic” on DVD, completing the Hulot cycle of mostly masterpieces (“Mr. Hulot’s Holiday”, “Mon Oncle”, and “Playtime”), it’s still representative of the auteur’s dedicated portrayal of consumerism as outlandish and ultimately clownish (this time tackling the auto industry though an incendiary series of hit-or-miss set pieces), but to suggest that the often laborious film – an extended road trip from France to Amsterdam – is nearly as funny or sharp as its predecessors is a stretch even for the most ardent Tati buff. My suggestion to the uninitiated, watch the first three Hulot’s in order, “Jour de Fete” if you can find it as well, then “Trafic”, and then the accompanying documentary, maybe read David Bellos’ “Jacques Tati: His Life and Art”, and you should be an expert in no time.
- Currently 3.0/5 Stars.