Customer Reviews

Playtime (The Criterion Collection)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Jacques Tati's farewell to Monsieur Hulot is also a deep, insightful, sad and funny reflection on the modern age. The old Paris that Hulot loved in Holiday and moved in and out of in Mon Oncle -- the Paris we think of when we long to visit -- is completely gone here. (The closing scene in Mon Oncle, where Hulot drives past an anonymous airport, presages the modernity that has overwhelmed Paris in Playtime.) Hulot's Paris of the 1950s is all steel, glass, and consumerism. Human contact seems impossible at first. But as the day passes into night (and then into day again), individuality replaces structure, and Hulot's humanity ultimately conquers modern sterility. This wonderfully compassionate story is also remarkably funny, though these are smiling long-lasting laughs, not belly laughs.

Ignore the negative comments about the picture quality of the VHS from the first two reviewers. The DVD is soooo much better than the VHS -- it is impossible to describe the improvement. As for the 2.35:1 vs. 1.85:1 issue, all I can say is that I loved the film as presented by Criterion. I have no idea if I would love it more in its full aspect.

This is one of the great achievements in cinema -- don't miss it.

OK, this is an amazing film. of course. every time i've seen it, either at home or in the theater, i have been completely captivated. It is by turns charming, hilarious, and jittering with energy. It builds into frenzies, distracting the viewer from the pleasant fact that there is little to tie the film together, no true main characters, and almost no dialogue.

about the dvd transfer. first of all, the only 70mm print left in existence is owned by Jacques Tati's family, who does not release it to anyone. so what we have to work with are 35mm prints and 16mm prints. this is a nice transfer--plenty of color, no scratches, and so on.

what's more, criterion collection should be commended for even releasing a DVD in the first place. for any lover of the film, it's a real treat to get to have it around to watch all the time. The VHS was appalling, unlistenable, and well, VHS (need i go into the faults of the medium??).

I'm glad to have it; I enjoy being able to turn off the subtitles; and i think technical critique is really trifling and tiresome. If you can see this film in the theater, GO SEE IT IMMEDIATELY. otherwise, get the dvd. it's a brilliant film.

I don't propose to write lengthing about Tati's masterpiece; I shall merely reiterate that Playtime is the 2001 of comedies.

My issues are with the quality of presentation on the DVD.

The transfer of the mono mix of the 35mm print of the film is as good as can be expected, and the subtitling adds another dimension over the International version, picking out "key" bits of dialogue (although none is essential). The sleeve notes explain that the location of the original elements, and thus the 65mm negative and stereo (or quadrophonic!) soundtrack have been lost, for the time being, but I urge you not to be put off by this.

It has already been discussed that some 4:3 material has been flagged as anamorphic, such that a television will stretch out images that should never have been stretched, causing some problems with subtitles being distorted. This is annoying and sloppy, requiring a manual correction when viewed each time; a moron in a hurry should have spotted this error, and I am very diappointed that Criterion have not been more punctilious.

Further, the very end of the film is supposed to be a fade to black while the music keeps playing to the end; there is about 30s overlap there. However, on this transfer, the music fades out as soon as the film is over. This gives the film an abrupt ending which has a very different effect to the proper version, as released by the British Film Institute on VHS in the UK.

Having said that, I urge you still to buy this disc, as it is good enough to get a high quality of this great film into your home. I am just disappointed at Criterion.

Playtime is comedy focused on detail. Many people find the film inaccessible because of its unconventional approach to storytelling. There _is_ a plot, and it is relatively straightforward, but the film is so removed from its dialogue (most of it isn't really audible, and is unsubtitled) that we must follow it visually. The film is also detached dramatically: There is so much going on within the frame that it can be difficult to know which events are connected to the main plot of the film, and which are connected to the rest of the film only thematically. Additionally, there are few occasions where the director guides our attention through close-ups, key lighting, or other conventional means. This means that the film is only likely to appeal to those who enjoy the comedy without the need for a conventional plot, or to those who look farther into the film (or both). Probably this is why the film was a commercial failure.

The film is visually dense: There are people wandering in and out of the frame constantly, and on many occasions there is more than one visual gag occurring at the same time. I doubt that there are any sections of the frame that are not used at some point in the film as a crucial element of some joke. Many of the jokes occur singly, and many of them are linked thematically to others throughout the scene, or throughout the film. Because of this, as a visual comedy this film is as close to music as I can imagine--at times it is acted out much like ballet (elements of synchronicity and counterpoint are common in this film). I don't know of any film that has this level of choreographed detail (not even Peter Greenaway).

The film is more than just style, however. All of its jokes exist under certain themes that run throughout the film. On the most readily apparent level, the film is about modernization (it seems to be set in the near future, but this is not explicit). Concrete and glass have consumed the world, and the people in it are completely superficial. In contrast to this, there exists Mr. Hulot, an awkward character that is consistently baffled by everything around him. At times, however, Tati shows us that the modern sensibility is just a delicate facade (chaos ensues at the restaurant), and that underneath it there can exist a very human playfulness (the extended carousel metaphor at the end).

On another level, the film is about cinema and television. There is a consistent theme of voyeurism. Much of the film is shot through glass windows--mostly interior scenes filmed from outside. At one point in the film, all the action occurs inside an apartment building where each living room has a wall-sized window. The entire scene is shot from outside, and the building looks very much like a television. At one point during this scene, one group of people sit down to watch TV, while another group of people in the apartment next to them are do the same. They react to what they see on the screen as if they were watching the events in the other apartment (both TV's are in the same wall, and they are facing each other). At one point a man in the second apartment begins to undress, and almost in response the father in the first apartment sends his daughter out of the room.

Unfortunately, Criterion was unable to procure the 70mm print (actually the 65mm camera negative) of this film--apparently the only acceptable one in existence. The Tati estate will not allow anyone to use it until someone does a complete restoration (this makes sense: each time that the print is used, it becomes more damaged). Fortunately, Criterion has found good 35mm elements and put out a pristine transfer. The image quality is about as it could be under the circumstances. Without their efforts, this film would surely have been treated very poorly on DVD, if at all.

Despite other reviewers' comments to the contrary, I believe that the original ratio of this film is 1.85. According to the IMDB this is true, and if you observe the composition of the frame, you will notice that everything fits neatly into it (yes, this includes the opening credits and the drooping plane model mentioned previously by reviewers). If you haven't found a way to eliminate the overscanning on your television, you may miss some of the details, or elements of the frame will fall off the edge of your screen. That's how densely Tati has packed this frame. It can be hard to discern certain details (such as a wedding ring) that would be easy to see in 70mm, but here the fault is not with the transfer, nor with the source print, but simply with the resolution of DVD in general. This film was meant to be seen in the theater (though you probably won't get a chance to anytime soon--so buy the dvd!). As for the sound quality, while the soundtrack is important, Tati intentionally muted the dialogue, and other elements are pretty clear, so it is more than adequate. This is the best that could be done with the materials, and I doubt that the sound quality was ever that great (even in 70mm). I believe that if you are not satisfied with this DVD, it is simply because the format itself is not good enough for such a large film. For a DVD, it could hardly be better.

There is a defect on the disc: the interview with Terry Jones and the short film, Cours du Soir, were encoded as anamorphic, even though they are full frame. As a result, they are flattened vertically. On some players this is unfixable, but on others you can fiddle with the player to present it correctly (you have to do this while it is running). It is unfortunate, but this dvd is otherwise outstanding.

This is the best example of Tati's experimental approach to humor. In fact it's sort of a cubist comedy with multiple layering of material and no discernible plot in any recognizable sense. Yet it works, it works well, and at no time will you feel it's aimless or merely episodic. Sounds a bit intellectual but this film is actually filled with endless great sight gags and some of the best slapstick you'll ever encounter. Keaton aside, this has two of the best "falls" in comedy. Also, the nightclub scene at the end is a masterpiece of timing and coordination. It reminds me of classic jazz improvisation. Like Keaton's "The General" this movie bombed when it was released but I'm betting it'll eventually be added to the list of great comedies of all time. Hopefully Criterion will re-release this soon and keep it in print.

Two caveats: I've noticed that people who expect comedies to be consistently manic and/or aren't accustomed to the slower pacing of many French films don't care much for this movie. It does require the focused attention of its audience to work. Also, the film was originally released in some oddball format that doesn't always translate effectively to the home screen. Because of this one major routine doesn't work quite as well as intended. It's not a major problem though.

There is not much to add to the many highly articulate reviews here, but it's important to mention, for those readers alarmed by another reviewer's coverage of the original "anamorphic flagging" error with this release, that Criterion discovered the error almost immediately and very quickly issued a second printing of this disc with the error CORRECTED. Especially for an error which did not even affect the main feature on the disc, "A moron in a hurry" seems a grossly unfair comment given Criterion's superlative track record for quality and attention to detail!

Unfortunately, the only way to distinguish a First Printing copy of this disc from a Second Printing one (without actually taking the disc home and playing it) is to check the fine print at the bottom of the back panel of the disc box, where it will clearly state which printing it is. Buying online, we would need the cooperation of the fine folk at Amazon in doing this. :)

Likewise, given Criterion's reputation as cinephiles, any doubts about the correctness of this transfer's aspect ratio should be laid to rest, as the amount of "overscan" present in any individual television accounts for perhaps nine out of ten such reports of minute cropping or "clipping" of the screen image.

Playtime by Jacques Tati is a remarkable movie. It is a comedy and sweet commentary on the perseverance of man even when immersed in a city of steel and glass. For this last Hulot movie, Tati leaves the Paris of the Seine and places us in the 1960 emerging Paris of modern towers and thick transparent doors. In Playtime we not only follow Hulot, but a number of characters within this maze of stunning industrial architecture.

While predominately thought of as a comedy, Tati in Playtime attempts to answer larger questions than a fumbling Hulot is able to muddle through alone. Through each character we see into and around the impersonal technology that revolutionized our lives and environment. Playtime doesn't ask why this happened, but it does ask how can we live in this cold cacophony where our ideals become only reflections in a door.

One supposes that the answers have something to do with the young photographer trying desperately to take the picture of a flower vendor absurdly juxtaposed outside a stark gray office tower while remarking, "this is Paris". Or maybe it exists within the dilemma of choosing a prepared meal under a bright neon sign which makes all the food ghostly green. On the surface we see the humour and below we feel the exquisite simplicity of Tati's whimsically rigorous proof of life.

Playtime is a gift of sight and sound that should not be missed. It is medicine of the most wonderful taste and a vicarious curative for any person in these modern times.

Jacques Tati's last picture captures the exuberance, beauty and despair of life in the glass, steel and chrome-plated world of contemporary urban society. It's also really funny. Architecture and design students take note: the sets, cinematography and color palette are all exquisitely executed. You may even find that many of the interior views in this film look as if they could have appeared in a recent Architectural Record.

While "Playtime" did not bowl me over the first time I saw it, I now consider it one of the greatest films ever made. That's because it's not a film you can "get" in a single viewing--there's simply too much going on, and no conventional plot to help you along. However, it does what any true masterpiece must do: it changes the way you look at the world. I know every time I've seen it, walking around in the city afterwards seemed a lot funnier.

The only reason I can't give this DVD 5 stars has to do with it being in the wrong widescreen format, as a previous reviewer stated. This is by no means nitpicking, as one of the delights of "Playtime" is seeing how Tati uses the frame so inventively. Gags can pop up anywhere in a shot, so active viewing is required. Unfortunately, in the format Criterion uses here, some jokes that occur at the edges of the picture can be lost. For example, in the bar of the restaurant, there's a model airplane that starts to droop when it gets too hot, but here only the nose of the plane can be seen.

The only argument in Criterion's favor is that this is a subtle movie full of small but significant details, and some of those could be harder to pick up if the film was presented in its true format. For example, near the end of the film, Barbara (the American tourist who's captured M. Hulot's interest) puts her hand on his shoulder while she adjusts her shoe. Hulot looks at the hand and sees she's wearing a wedding ring. Tati knew this could be noticed when projected in the 70mm format. However, on my TV at least, this is nearly impossible to see, even in this version. Ultimately, though, the true format should have been respected.

The short "Cours du soir" included here is a nice bonus, as it had been fairly hard to find. In it, Tati tries to teach some night school students a few of his physical comedy routines. It's not hilarious, but it is worth watching to see how much skill he had in making something like tripping on some stairs or walking into a wall look completely natural and effortless-and funny.

This has become my all-time favorite film. It is truly hard to express how breathtaking, awe-inspiring and joyful this film is once it sinks into you. It must be watched numerous times. This is the only film I have watched back to back on two separate occasions. It utterly lacks traditional characters and plot; its lulling rhythm distracts the viewer from how revolutionary a film it is. There is no other film remotely like Playtime. It has to be one of the greatest works of art of the 20th century in any genre.
The Criterion print is for the most part great. Do not watch this on full-screen video under any circumstances.