Criterion Coll: Playtime

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.

If you go to www.criteriondvd.com, click on "Out of Print", at the top of the page. When it comes up, scroll down the page and you'll see, on the left side, "Coming Back Soon" with a picture of the "Playtime" dvd!

It is the 3rd film in a series of four. The 4th film in the series was not released onto DVD unfortunately.
This film follows Msr. Hulot again as he walks through the streets of Paris while he attempts to contact a US diplomat.

This flim, while not as good as the previous two still has good moments. The film gained popularity in many countries and remains popular today. The DVD includes an introduction by Terry Jones as well as one of Tati's short films, Cours du Soir, or Evening Classes.

The Criterion DVD remains out of print to date and prices are currently around $70. If you want this release, it is best to get it sooner rather than later as the prices will rise until it is, if ever, back in print.