Parade
In Tati’s final film, two children find themselves behind the scenes at a circus. Tati himself plays the ringmaster, Monsieur Loyal, and is surrounded by clowns, musicians, magicians and acrobats.
Jacques Tati | France, 1974 | 90 min | French spoken | Starring Jacques Tati, Karl Kossmayer, Pierre Bramma, Michèle Brabo
The multitalented French filmmaker Jacques Tati began this project by videotaping a performance of a circus show that he did in Sweden. An enterprising producer transferred the tape to film, and presto! Instant movie! Disregarding the fascinating but monotonous footage of various variety acts, the film is at its best when concentrating on the clumsy Tati, miming such characters as a circus horse, a boxer, and a soccer goalie. Whenever the action threatens to flag, Parade cuts to a shot of Tati interacting with his enthusiastic circus audience.