Jacques Tati's Posthumous Paris Retrospective and the Modernity of His Cinema

This summer, Paris hosted a series of posthumous retrospectives of Jacques Tati's films, who died in 1982. The event went beyond typical commemoration due to the restoration of 'Playtime' by Jérôme Deschamps and Macha Makeïeff, and the inclusion of short films like 'Cours du soir' and 'L'école des facteurs,' which revealed Tati's unique place in cinema. The article argues that a film becomes a masterpiece when it adopts the right tone to question modernity, which lies in style, not content. Tati, a modern filmmaker, balances between past and future, embodying pure presence. His physical comedy, rooted in the traditions of the Lumière brothers and Georges Méliès, uses the actor's body for illusion, as seen in 'Cours du soir,' where a correct image matches a correct gesture. Tati's humor arises from success, not failure, as in his tennis and boxing roles. Unlike Keaton, Tati mobilizes the whole body, with arms and legs as balancers. His comedy is a wink to the viewer's intelligence, not cathartic release. 'Mon oncle' critiques not technology but its malfunction, as seen in the water jet and automatic garage door scenes. 'Trafic' showcases the playful power of inventive technology. The finale of 'Playtime' defines the modern poetically, aligning streetlamps and lily of the valley.