Trafic

"The laughs are bumper to bumper!"

1971 1h 36m FR

👍

7.1

SOLID

🔥

96%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 227🍅96%Rotten Tomatoes●84Metacritic★7IMDB · 8,011

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Mr. Hulot is the head designer of the Altra Automotive Co. His latest invention is a newfangled camper car loaded with outrageous extra features. Along with the company's manager and publicity model, Hulot sets out from Paris with the intention of debuting the car at the annual auto show in Amsterdam. The going isn't easy, however, and the group encounters an increasingly bizarre series of hurdles and setbacks en route.

“The laughs are bumper to bumper!”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Jacques Tati
Monsieur Hulot
Tony Knepper
Mechanic
Maria Kimberly
Maria Kimberly
Marcel Fraval
Marcel the truck driver
Honoré Bostel
Director of ALTRA
François Maisongrosse
François
Marco Zuanelli
Mechanic
Franco Ressel

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jacques Tati
Writers: Jacques Lagrange, Jacques Tati
Languages: French, Dutch, English
Countries: France, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

55 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: French, Dutch, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jacques Tati, shot by Eduard van der Enden. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Charles Dumont. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Maurice Laumain shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jacques Tati and Tony Knepper and Maria Kimberly carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jacques Tati directs. Eduard van der Enden behind the camera. Charles Dumont scores. Maurice Laumain cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Italy. Dialogue in French, Dutch, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

155 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: French, Dutch, English.
3International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Jacques Tati, shot by Eduard van der Enden. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Charles Dumont. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Maurice Laumain shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Jacques Tati and Tony Knepper and Maria Kimberly carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The laughs are bumper to bumper!".
10IMDB entry: tt0069400 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 9 themes, including "inventor", "modernity", "modern society", "road trip".

The technical file

Cinematography: Eduard van der Enden
Original score: Charles Dumont
Editing: Maurice Laumain
Production design: Adrien De Rooy
Costume design: Jacques Esterel
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
Certification (US): G
IMDB: Trafic (1971)
Rotten Tomatoes: 96% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 84/100
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 8,011 votes
MPAA: G

Awards

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award1 win & 1 nomination total

Also by

Jacques Tati

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-06-12
★ 7/10
“M. Hulot” (Jacques Tati) has designed the ultimate in camper-vans and his bosses at “Altra” are keen on getting it to a motor show in Amsterdam so off he sets, with driver “Marcel” (Marcel Fraval) to take it from Paris. Somehow you just know this is not going to be a straightforward journey, though, and before long they’ve managed to run out of petrol! That is just the starting point for a series of mishaps that involve them, the traffic, their somewhat intense American marketing guru “Maria” (Maria Kimberly) and an whole host of others, including the customs guys who like nothing better than testing all it’s mod-con appliances - many of which would appear pointless even if you happened to be 007. The question is, will they and/or it ever actually make it to Amsterdam? I couldn’t help but think of “Dad’s Army” when I watched this. A series of gags that you can see from space, that make you cringe in anticipation and yet they still make you laugh when the old “if it can go wrong it will” adage kicks in. Tati has great comedy timing with an effective paucity of dialogue allowing the imagery, and some fun visual effects, to tell us a compendium of stories that entertainingly showcase life on the road as well as for this hapless, hopeless and helpless pair as everything they touch turns to mince. Whilst this is all going on, their typically impatient and arrogant colleague from across the pond gradually learns a little humility too and that’s well expressed by a Kimberly who, like everyone else, seems to be enjoying keeping this just on the right side of farce. Good fun.

Production companies