Parade (1974)

One of my all time favorites.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Tati's last movie plays in and around a circus performance. You get to see the acts, good and bad, the artists behind the scenes and the audience, from entering the arena to the audience reactions. Two things strike you:The artists are always creating and doing things. They are painting, acting, playing, juggling, whether on stage or behind the scenes. They never stop being creative. Tati shortens the creative process and mainly focuses on what is perceived by the artists and the audience/at the intersection. Sometimes, the acts of the artists will clash with each other, sometimes they are complimentary. Some acts are good, some misfire. This is where the audience really comes in. Watch the audience reactions. Tati has set the scene from the beginning, showing you the cross section of the typical audience attending, making fun of some signs of the time and contrasting it against ... well, have a look at what is placed in the audience section; Tati leaves some hints as to what he thinks of those attending the show/art parade - critique is mixed with compliments and acceptance. The audience (a nice selection) will become involved in the creation of the art - in fact it appears impossible to separate the artists from the audience at times. The audience reactions are also telling - Tati shows us typical audience behavior from overbearing enjoyment to boredom. The placement of these reactions is very deliberate - there is a lot to pick up on and I suggest to view the movie a few times, focusing on different aspects of it. Typical for a Tati movie there is some whimsy and the humour sways between slapstick and subtle satire. It is telling that Tati attempts to show a cross section of modern (for the times) and old fashioned especially in the music. In this he embraces both old and new. The film ends in a scene that shows that creativity and art leads to inspiration, where it counts and where it is allowed to grow. Don't watch this as a circus movie; watch this as an art process and suddenly you will see a plot in the movie that is otherwise very easy to miss. This movie is Tati's final statement about art; it is not his most accessible movie and will probably only appeal to you, if you are willing to watch the movie a few times and spend some time thinking about it in between. So, not recommended for casual viewing.

"Parade" was the final film directed by Jacques Tati. It was made for television and featured Tati as a clown in a circus. The film was screened at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival, but was not entered into the main competition.As much as it pains me to say something bad about Jacques Tati, this is far from his best work. In fact, it more or less amounts to a televised special about a circus filled with mimes and acrobats. Should it be judged on the same level as the other films he made? No. Because, clearly, it was not intended for the same level of criticism. We do not judge Michael Bay for his milk commercials.Still a bit fun, even if the costumes are so obviously dated as the 1970s.

Those looking for the sustained genius of Jacques Tati need to look else where. This is a wildly uneven filmed record of a circus performance. Tati acts as master of ceremonies and performs some of his music hall routines, while other circus people do their things. We also watch as "off stage", but plainly in view, the performers get ready for their routines and prepare props and paintings. Its an uneven mix that swings from very clever (hockey team with string quartet or the magic tricks) to dull (some of Tati's bits and say the polka band). Its best to have the remote ready.As I said at the start, those looking for the magic of the earlier Tati films are bound to be disappointed. That said there are some moments that are pure Tati such as some of the shots showing the audience filing in and being an audience, no one would dare show people being people other than Tati. There are some wonderful throw aways, the motorcycle helmets, the people trying to get into the right "studio" that play like deleted scenes from Playtime or M. Hulot's Holiday. They are small seconds long bits but they make wading through the dull spots worth it.Probably the weakest of all the films Tati made, its still worth a look for those who need to get a fix of Jacques Tati. I'd recommend renting it rather than buying it simply because its probably not going to be something you'll watch again, or repeatedly.

This is a collection of circus acts with a fair bit of Tati's miming thrown in for good measure.It's not a BAD film. Some memorable sequences include Tati miming a tennis game (in slow motion!) and traffic cops around the world. I don't think the M. Hulot character let Tati really stretch out and MIME. He is very very good.The other performers and comedians, while not as famous as Tati, are still pretty good.The main problem is that the premise is so basic. You can't really GO very far with this and Tati doesn't. It's basically just like watching a circus on TV. There's nothing to really glue the whole picture together. I agree with the reviewer that found the audiences 70's clothing interesting in itself.