Playtime

Name: Playtime
Director: Jacques Tati
Genre: Comedy, Arts and culture
Released: 1967
Duration: 1 h 54 min
Cast: Jacques Tati, Rita Maiden, Barbara Dennek, Jacqueline Lecomte, Valérie Camille

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Comedy
Arts and culture

1967
Jacques Tati
114 mins
U

Summary

Comedy starring Jacques Tati. Monsieur Hulot continues his meandering life, looking for a friend in a modern glass-and-steel office block in which he is bound to get lost. What he does find is a group of American tourists, and their joint confusion leads them to an unfinished nightclub, where Hulot struggles with the hostility of the inanimate objects in typical fashion.

IMDB

Review

A star rating of 5 out of 5.

Calum Baker

Jacques Tati's elegant fourth feature is essentially the Citizen Kane of comedy movies, such is its ambition, depth and unique visual style. Monsieur Hulot (Tati) arrives in a cold, ultra-modern version of Paris for a business meeting, only to become caught up with a group of American tourists, a surreal trade expo and, later, the disastrous opening of a new restaurant. Shot expensively on 70mm film in a massive bespoke set dubbed "Tativille", this was considered in its time a disastrous, overlong curio that left its creator bankrupt. However, the artistry on display is incredible, with Tati crafting memorable jokes and poignant visual metaphors alike in a sincerely felt satirical epic that deals with the cultural and human cost of rapid modernisation. The writer/director's affection for everyday silliness is evident, though his gentle approach is taken to bold extremes with a widescreen style that allows the viewer to pick out the gags themselves from the film's painstaking compositions. Hulot himself frequently disappears into the action, with a series of lookalikes emerging to cause more delightful confusion. This is one of many bright touches in a film that begins coldly and gradually fills with life, defined throughout by its sparkling imagination.

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7.8/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameMonsieur HulotJacques TatiMr Schultz's companionRita MaidenYoung touristBarbara DennekHer friendJacqueline LecomteMonsieur Luce's secretaryValérie CamilleWoman selling spectaclesFrance RomillyShopper in department storeFrance DelahalleWoman at the lampLaure PailletteWoman at the lampColette ProustMadame GiffardErika DentzlerHat check girlYvette DucreuxSingerNicole RayMonsieur SchulzBilly KearnsGiffardGeorges MontantLacsJohn AbbeyPilierBilly BourbonDoormanTony Andal