Cours du soir (1967) - #112

Cours du soir is a supplemental companion piece to Jacques Tati's masterpiece PlayTime. Parts of the short film (28 minutes) were shot on the same sprawling set that Tati constructed expressly for the purpose of shooting his feature, and those scenes, which occur at the beginning and end, are unfortunately the most interesting and enjoyable moments that I found here. (Well, the postmen on bicycles are kind of cute, but that's an old recycled bit that was much funnier in the original L'École des facteurs from 1947.) The middle portion (taking up about 26 minutes of the running time) is a series of fairly tedious demonstrations of miming skills that Tati delivers to a classroom populated by a group of middle-aged businessmen. (The title translates to Evening Classes, so apparently these men are there by choice, unless this is some strange form of community service to which they've been sentenced.)

The subjects covered by this erstwhile instructor of comedy technique include various ways that people smoke, fishing, how to play tennis (again, more effectively parodied fifteen years previously in M. Hulot's Holiday), horseback riding, the afore-mentioned bicycling, and how to convincingly trip while ascending stairs and distractedly walk into a column. Yes, a rich mine of humor just waiting to be tapped into there. While some of the bits might work just fine when inserted discreetly into scenarios developed and shot by Tati (he didn't direct this piece), they lose practically all of their charm when each gag is verbally introduced and performed on cue. Probably the most revelatory moment in the entire film occurs near the end, when Tati, seeking to teach his pupils the proper way to get a laugh by walking into a pillar, actually stumbles himself and takes a full shot to the crown of his head. That must've hurt, even if he meant to do it! He immediately dismisses the class and sends them all home, leaving the building himself and returning to his own domicile, a shabby little hovel that sits in the shadows of the faux skyscrapers of Tativille.

The message of that concluding sequence, regrettably reinforced by the scenes that preceded it, could be read that Tati was getting old and his stunts, if delivered too directly on the nose, were no longer as amusing as they had been when placed in a more true-to-life cinematic context. It's well-established that Tati was trying to move away from relying so heavily on the Hulot character that had made his previous films M. Hulot's Holiday and Mon oncle so successful around the world. Even though this isn't a Hulot film by any measure, the dismal results achieved here that put Tati's physical comedy antics in the spotlight demonstrate that he was clearly on to something.

I'm not really sure whose idea it was to even put this film together, or for what purpose. Maybe it was released for financial reasons, to raise some money in the final phase of PlayTime's production, as that film infamously far surpassed its original budget and the liquidation of his personal assets led to Tati's eventual bankruptcy. Whatever the motivation, I think it's a bit unfortunate to have this film count as part of his legacy, as it kind of spoils his otherwise impressive track record up to that point in his career, and portends some of the troubles that would drag down his later productions. Still, I understand that its inclusion in The Complete Jacques Tati is essential. I and countless others would be complaining bitterly if it had been left out! Just don't ask me to ever bother watching it again.

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