Playtime Review by Maria A.



"Playtime" (1967) is a comedy film directed by Jacques Tati. Despite being one of the most expensive films in French history, it was only released in 2002 due to financial failure at its time. This film is very unique in its absence of a plot and main characters. Instead, there is a show of different simultaneous incidents. The viewer observes the lives of the people of "Tativille" as a whole, seeing how baffled they are by modern technologies in a city of sterile and monotonous architecture. 


The story behind “Playtime” moves back and forth between Monsieur Hulot and Barbara, an American in Paris. At the beginning Hulot is seen at a business center looking for the manager regarding a job position, however gets lost in the labyrinth of glass doors and walls in the building. We then see Hulot, Barbara, and other tourists at the trade exhibition, marveling at the latest gadgets. In the evening, there is a chaotic string of events at the most “fashionable" night club in town. Despite the club being very technologically advanced, as the night commences, several problems arise, causing mayhem. There are issues with electrical short-circuits, blown fuses, and collapsing masonry. As much as the director wanted to flaunt modern technology by showing how it makes people’s lives easier, he also paradoxically shows that technology can create barriers between people – invisible walls that grow larger and are better fortified with every new invention. This is especially prevalent in the architecture that is quite repetitious, with steel-and-glass skyscrapers everywhere with a hint of the Eiffel Tower seen from a distance. The wave of modernism has taken over the city and people's lives.


I personally really enjoyed this film and it has easily become one of my top favorites. It goes against traditional film methods of following a plot and having a hero, and I particularly enjoyed having a moment to quietly observe people's lives in a fast moving society. It definitely makes sense why "Playtime" is ranked 37th in the British Film Institute's critic's list of "Top 100 Greatest Films of All Time".








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