Jacques Tati At The Magic Lantern
Published 16th Oct 2007 by Alessandra Romanelli

The second date of The Magic Lantern's new season is with Jacques Tati and his film “Jour de Fête”. The show is at 10.30 am, Saturday, October 27th, at the Odeon Cinema in Brighton.  Known in English as “Holiday” or “The Big Day”, this film from 1947 is a masterpiece, from a genius of comedy.  Thin as a beanpole and impressively tall, this amazing comic “acrobat” dominates the screen, causing chaos and disaster wherever he goes.

To make us laugh, the director re-used some of the best tricks from the silent era, including incredible mimes, unbelievable acrobatics and frantic chase scenes. Believe it or not, there is absolutely NO trick photography used in any of these extraordinary scenes, not even when the bicycle goes downhill all by itself for dozens of metres!

Before the film is screened a small stage show will make children aware of the importance of sound effects in Jacques Tati’s films. The sketch will show how Tati used the interaction between image and sound to create comic effects. It will also demonstrate one of

Tati’s favourite comic ploys: linking an unexpected sound

with an “inappropriate” image.

Aimed at 5 to 12 year olds, The Magic Lantern is an educational film club like no other: it aims to introduce the young members to the pleasures of discovering great films in a real cinema. Here they can experience the films in a fun and imaginative way.

A few days before each show the members receive an illustrated magazine to introduce the film. Then, before each screening, the children will see a comic stage show performed by professional actors, which introduces the film whilst informing them about the history, genres and techniques of cinema.

The Brighton & Hove club is the first to be established in the UK. It has received support from the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Cultural Foreign Policy Centre, the Arts Council, Brighton & Hove Council and Screen South.

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