Monsieur Hulot returns for his final screen appearance, and, after a series of films in which Jacques Tati cast his character as apparently unemployed, or barely employed, we find Hulot inexplicably working as Chief Designer for automobile maker Altra’s latest vehicle. The vehicle is absurd, the Camping-Car, complete with fold out tent, seating, and grills that double as barbeque grills.
Essentially a road movie, the film sees Hulot and his driver (Marcel Fraval) travelling with the Camping-Car in convoy with Altra’s brash American publicist (Maria Kimberley) and her dog to the Amsterdam Motor Show, just as Apollo 11 is set to make their moon landing. As is to be expected of Tati’s Hulot films, the journey is fraught with comedic roadblocks and frustrating bureaucratic hinderances.
As in Tati’s earlier Mon Oncle, the canine actors are a highlight. Although not as grand a film as PlayTime, the destination of the Amsterdam Motor Show is nevertheless impressive, as are the long, chain-reaction scenes that drive the movie. A more colourful and straight-forward romp than some of Tati’s previous Hulot films, but the same spirit prevails.
Trafic (1971)
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