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A newly restored edition of Tati's masterpiece is out in France on Oct 25, along with a re-release of the 2-DVD set of Playtime:

Bonuses on the Mon Oncle set:

Taty story
Architecture et design
Analyse de Stéphane Goudet
Ecoutez Tati
La restauration
Quelle équipe !
Qu'en dites-vous ?

And it also includes the english version, a.k.a. My Uncle.

I just finished watching this (sans subtitles) after seeing Playtime a week ago and Mon Oncle on Tuesday. Frankly, it's Tati's worst Hulot film (though I have yet to see Holiday). It's an unfocused mess, takes too long to get started, and the jokes are few and far between. It has brilliant moments, and Tati's Hulot is possibly at his best here, but it's such a shame that the character is forced to run around in such a dull environment. Whereas Playtime was constantly inventive and lively, and Mon Oncle is somewhat nostalgic, Traffic is bitter and shallow.

While I hesitate to say that it's a bad film, I can easily say that it's a very dark film. Everyone in mainstream society is hurried and incredibly unhappy (while the country bumpkins go about their business), everyone's cramped, everyone's rushed. It has none of the magic of Playtime, which was similar in its commentary, but there it was balanced out with a sense of happy discovery and romance and, of course, the bumbling Hulot.

It seems as if Tati had been under incredible studio pressure when making this, as his vision rarely shines through the thunderstorm, but when it does, it's brilliant:

Magic Hate Ball wrote:It seems as if Tati had been under incredible studio pressure when making this, as his vision rarely shines through the thunderstorm, but when it does, it's brilliant:

I love that bit...I have that picture hanging next to my desk at work. That scene is brilliant. Be glad that you didn't see the dubbed version (as I did), the actress who did that Maria woman's voice was shrill beyond belief. I didn't hate this film or even dislike it as much as you two seem to. I actually prefer it to Holiday. I realize that technically Holiday is better but I find it hard to love. I would sooner watch Trafic on weird-low budgetness alone.
Trafic has its share of winning moments. That car crash scene mostly worked especially the bit with the priest. I liked the moon landing motif and the design of the car that Tati was accompanying to the auto show was slick. I also liked the use of sound- the cars screamed down the road.

Overall the movie is kind of a mess but I think it is a likable one. I never really though about it before but I think I like late Tati. I will even give that awful piece of shit Parade a pass if only because the cardboard cut-outs in the audience are similar to the ones that appear on the cover of Pulp's Different Class album and I also like the way that a disproportionate amount of members of the audience were checking colored helmets at the coat check. oh and I thought this kid was cute:



You might want to spend a few minutes here. But I really should get back to work.

Hmm. I kind of like it. I love the dog/rug/tire scene in particular.

I'll be honest. I LOVE this little movie. In fact, I find I can watch it more often than, say, Playtime or even Mon Oncle which is my favorite Tati. I think it's maybe down to the fact that I've always lived near a very busy road and I seem to have a sort of love/hate relationship with cars (maybe that's why I love Cronenberg's Crash so much, who knows) but I don't want to get too psychoanalytical about it.

Definitely one of the most underrated movies ever by a great director and ripe for rediscovery and reassessment. You see, I've always been a sucker for the underdog and this movie fits the bill entirely.

I'm often surprised by the moments in Tati that make me laugh the hardest.

I know this belongs in the DVD thread but i do hope a region 1 dvd release will come soon. I have the Home Vision VHS tape and the image on it is ok but would love to see Criterion release it with some extras. I know there are some European dvd versions but will wait for one here. The film itself is charming and i likes the scenes at the auto show and when they are on the freeway!