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Parade (1974)

Parade (1974), directed by Jacques Tati, starring Jacques Tati and Michèle Brabo.

12/18/1974 BR Comedy and TV Movie 1h 30m

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Synopsis

For his final film, Jacques Tati takes his camera to the circus, where the director himself serves as master of ceremonies. Though it features many spectacles, including clowns, jugglers, acrobats, contortionists, and more, Parade also focuses on the spectators, making this stripped-down work a testament to the communion between audience and entertainment.

  • Gunnar FischerCinematography
  • Jean BadalCinematography
  • Jacques TatiDirector, Screenplay
  • Aline AsséoEditing

About the film

Parade is a French comedy film and was the final film directed by Jacques Tati. Parade was made for Swedish television in 1974 and featured Tati as a clown in a circus.

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Parade is a French comedy film and was the final film directed by Jacques Tati. Parade was made for Swedish television in 1974 and featured Tati as a clown in a circus.

History

Tati's finances were hit hard by the failure of PlayTime to recover its enormous production costs, after which he sold his family residence. Parade was released three years after Trafic, which had been funded by Dutch capital; Parade was bankrolled by a Swedish television station and, because of the severe budget constraints, is much smaller in cinematic scope than both PlayTime and Trafic. Gunnar Fischer, who had been director of photography on many of Ingmar Bergman's films, handled the cinematography for Parade. Filming took place at the Stockholm Cirkus in 1973 and employed a mixture of video, 16mm and 35mm stock.

The film begins with a crowd of colorfully-dressed people filing into a theater that is being set up for a clown-themed performance. Tati, in the role of Monsieur Loyal, informs the audience that they are invited to be part of the show, which he calls "the parade". He serves essentially as emcee for a variety show that includes sight gags, mime, juggling, slapstick skits, dancing, animal acts, musical jokes, and magic tricks. At times, audience members participate in the festivities.

The film was screened at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival, but was not entered into the main competition.

It was released on Blu-ray in 2014 as part of the Criterion Collection's The Complete Jacques Tati box-set.

Reception

Roger Ebert gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, writing that it "has flashes of wit and style, but it's slow, offhand and meandering, and not Tati at his best."

Time Out called it "An eccentric slice of light entertainment ring-mastered by Tati."

References

External links

Parade at IMDb

Text from Parade (1974 film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parade_(1974_film)

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What is Parade about?

Parade: For his final film, Jacques Tati takes his camera to the circus, where the director himself serves as master of ceremonies. Though it features many spectacles, including clowns, jugglers, acrobats, contortionists, and more, Parade also focuses on the spectators, making this stripped-down work a testament to the commun…

Who directed Parade?

Parade was directed by Jacques Tati in 1974.

Who stars in Parade?

The cast of Parade includes Jacques Tati, Michèle Brabo, Karl Kossmayer, Pierre Brama and Pia Colombo.

How long is Parade?

Parade runs for 90 minutes, or 1h30.

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Page updated on 09/14/2026.

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Scene from Parade