#655: ÉTAIX, Pierre: Pierre Étaix (Various)

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ÉTAIX, Pierre (France)
Pierre Étaix (Various)
Spine #655
Blu-ray


A French comedy master whose films went unseen for decades as a result of legal tangles, director-actor Pierre Étaix is a treasure the cinematic world has rediscovered and embraced with relish. His work can be placed on the spectrum of classic physical comedy with that of Jacques Tati and Jerry Lewis, but it also stands alone in its good-natured delicacy. These films, influenced by Étaix's experiences as a circus acrobat and clown and by the silent film comedies he adored, are elegantly deadpan, but as an on-screen presence, Étaix radiates warmth. This collection includes all his films: five features, The Suitor, Yoyo, As Long as You've Got Your Health, Le grand amour, and Land of Milk and Honey — most of them collaborations with the great screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière — and three shorts, Rupture, the Oscar-winning Happy Anniversary, and Feeling Good. Not one of them is anything less than a bracing and witty delight.

Rupture (1961)
12 minutes

Happy Anniversary (1962)
14 minutes
1:33:1 aspect ratio

The Suitor (1963)
84 minutes

Yoyo (1965)
98 minutes
Black & White

As Long As You've Got Your Health (1966)
68 minutes
Black & White/Color

Feeling Good (1966)
15 minutes
Black & White

Le Grand Amour (1969)
87 minutes

Land Of Milk And Honey (1971)
76 minutes
Color
Monaural
in French
1:66:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2013
Director/Writers

Rupture

Screenplay by Pierre Étaix and Jean-Claude Carrière.
Étaix was 33 and Carrière was 30 when they directed Rupture.

Happy Anniversary

Screenplay by Étaix and Carrière.
Étaix was 34 and Carrière was 31 when they directed Happy Anniversary.

The Suitor

Screenplay by Étaix and Carrière.
Étaix was 35 when he directed The Suitor.

Yoyo

Screenplay by Étaix and Carrière.
Étaix was 37 when he directed Yoyo.

As Long as You’ve Got Your Health

Screenplay by Étaix and Carrière.
Étaix was 38 when he directed As Long as You’ve Got Your Health.

Feeling Good

Screenplay by Étaix and Carrière.
Étaix was 38 when he directed Feeling Good.

Le Grand Amour

Screenplay by Étaix and Carrière.
Étaix was 40 when he directed Le Grand Amour.

Land of Milk and Honey

Étaix was 42 when he directed Land of Milk and Honey.

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Fifty-six page booklet featuring an essay by critic David Cairns.

Commentary

None.

Video introductions

To the films by director Étaix.

Pierre Étaix, un destin animé (2011)

A portrait of the life and work of the director by his wife, Odile Étaix.

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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