The Dance of Playtime
By September 04, 2006
I suppose it could be argued that I saw Playtime for the first time in ideal circumstances—as an American tourist in Paris. Yet to argue this would mean overlooking the Read more »
- France, Italy
- 1967
- 124 minutes
- Color
- 1.85:1
- English, German, French
- Spine #112
SYNOPSIS: Jacques Tati’s gloriously choreographed, nearly wordless comedies about confusion in the age of technology reached their creative apex with Playtime. For this monumental achievement, a nearly three-year-long, bank-breaking production, Tati again thrust the endearingly clumsy, resolutely old-fashioned Monsieur Hulot, along with a host of other lost souls, into a bafflingly modernist Paris. With every inch of its superwide frame crammed with hilarity and inventiveness, Playtime is a lasting testament to a modern age tiptoeing on the edge of oblivion.
Cast & CreditsOpen
Cast
| Monsieur Hulot | Jacques Tati |
| Young tourist | Barbara Dennek |
| Mr. Schultz’s companion | Rita Maïden |
| Woman selling eyeglasses | France Rumilly |
| Shopper in department store | France Delahalle |
| M. Luce’s secretary | Valérie Camille |
| Mme. Giffard | Erika Dentzler |
| Singer | Nicole Ray |
| Hat Check Girl | Yvette Ducreux |
| Mr. Lacs | John Abbey |
Credits
| Director | Jacques Tati |
| Cinematography | Jean Badal and Andréas Winding |
| Screenplay | Jacques Tati and Jacques Lagrange |
| English dialogue | Art Buchwald |
| Music | James Campbell and Francis Lemarque |
| Editing | Gérard Pollicand |
| Production design | Eugène Roman |
| Sound | Jacques Maumont |
| Producer | Jacques Tati and Bernard Maurice |
Disc Features
AVAILABLE IN DOUBLE-DVD OR BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITIONS:
- All-new, restored high-definition digital transfer (uncompressed stereo soundtrack on Blu-ray edition)
- Video introduction by writer, director, and performer Terry Jones
- Selected scene commentary by film historian Philip Kemp
- Au-delà de “Playtime,” a short documentary featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the production
- Tati Story, a short biographical film
- “Jacques Tati in Monsieur Hulot’s Work,” a 1976 BBC Omnibus program featuring Tati
- Rare audio interview with Tati from the U.S. debut of Playtime at the 1972 San Francisco International Film Festival (Courtesy of Pacifica Radio Archives)
- Video interview with script supervisor Sylvette Baudrot
- Cours du soir, a 1967 short film written by and starring Tati
- Alternate international soundtrack
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: An essay by film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum
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After the success of Mon Oncle in 1958, Jacques Tati had become fed up with Monsieur Hulot, his signature comic creation. With international renown came a growing dissatisfaction Read more »
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