School for Postmen

"School for Postmen" (L'École des facteurs, 1946) is a French short comedy directed by and starring Jacques Tati, available to watch online on iFILM. A rural postman is ordered to complete his rounds without dismounting from his bicycle — because, apparently, that is how they do it in America, and twenty minutes could be saved before the mail plane lands.

Sixteen minutes, almost no dialogue, one absurd directive. Tati carries it entirely through physical comedy, and you can see him working out the clumsy, incurably optimistic character he would later expand into "Jour de Fête" in 1949. For a film this short, it covers a lot of ground. Stream "School for Postmen" online on iFILM.