“Tati is also remarkably appreciative of the odd beauty that can be revealed in the shapes, patterns and colors created by the technology of planned obsolescence. For all of the laughter in TRAFFIC, there are moments when the banal utilitarianism of the super-highway is seen as a work of extraordinary art.” - Vincent Canby, New York Times
In Jacques Tati’s TRAFFIC, the bumbling Monsieur Hulot, kitted out as always with tan raincoat, beaten brown hat, and umbrella, takes to Paris’s highways and byways. In this, his final outing, Hulot is employed as an auto company’s director of design, and accompanies his new product (a “camping car” outfitted with absurd gadgetry) to an auto show in Amsterdam. Naturally, the road there is paved with modern-age mishaps. This late-career delight is a masterful demonstration of the comic genius’s expert timing and sidesplitting knack for visual gags, and a bemused last look at technology run amok.
Awards & Nominations
1971 BFI London Film Festival - Official Selection
Vroom, Screech | July 31–August 27, 2026
For the season of road trips and action-adventure blockbusters, we offer a series of movies that celebrate and complicate the car chase. Featuring iconic automotive set-pieces, impressive stunt work, and serious car psychology, this slate crosses multiple lanes.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu