Playtime [DVD]

SUBTLE HUMOR THAT HAS RIB TICKLING MOMENTS .I AM A HUGE FAN IT IS CLEVER STUFF.CAN NOT RECOMMEND IT ENOUGH .BRILLIANT.

Well the BFI have done it again. Along with the Eureka MOC series we are really being spoiled at the moment and Jaques Tatis' Playtime is a more than worthy addition to my, or any, movie collection.The clean lines and sterility of the opening airport scene and following office block sketch have never looked so good as on this Blu release.This is a film without plot as such but where there is so much to see in every single frame so carefully mapped out by Tati. Taking 4 years to make and costing Tati himself dearly Playtime stands today as a wonderful testament to the genius of the man.Coming also with a DVD edition of the film with extras comprising a 6 minute featurette on the making of Playtime, an insightful half hour documentary on Jaques Tati, a 12 minute interview with Tatis' script supervisor Sylvette Baudrot, an edited audio track of a Tati interview from the NFT in 1968, an enjoyable informative commentary by Philip Kemp and the usual classy BFI booklet this is an essential release.

It is about thirty years since I watched any Jaques Tati and I resolved to put that right by buying three of his masterpieces.Playtime is unique, original and has touches of comic genius. Tati's shrewd observations of modern day life and hapless tourists racing through their day, time pressed and seeing nothing resonates well with life fifty years on. I thoroughly enjoyed his anarchic take on life. Bought with 'Mon Oncle' and "Jour de Fete' I feel I have gone some way to redressing the balance. A charming and amusing antidote to many modern day films, it has glimpses of a France of yesteryear.

In this film Tati pokes fun at our obsession for all things modern and gadgetry. Once again Tati's comic genius shines through in his sharp observations of our modern world with the assistance of a coachload of American tourists visiting Paris. The scene in the neawly opened restaurant that is not quite finished is really a gem especially the commissionaire opening a non-existent glass door to customers after it has been smashed. Sharp observation of people throughout the film which is a little overlong but stick with it, it is definitely worth it.

It's been a long wait for a decent region 2 release of this movie by actor/director Tati. It's not is most accesible work (Les Vacances de monsieur Hulot/Mister Hulots Holiday is a better choice to get used to the subtle humour), but it's a timeless and very funny movie. I had to get used to the fact that much of the humour happens in the background, so it's quite rewarding to watch this movie more often. Decent extra's about Tati and the making of this movie make this a very good DVD. Bring on the other Tati masterworks!

Fantastic film, very well planned.Something happening all over the place more or less at all times therefore every time you watch it you'll see something new and wonder how you missed it before.Have watched this more than 5 times with different people and they all said they would watch it again :-)

Oh dear, what a shame.For Tati this film is the equivalent of a successful musician who after a few hit albums lets his success go to his head and decides to make a concept album : a complete ego trip with no tunes - in this case, no jokes.Tati took nearly three years to make this and his (in)famous attention to detail is evident throughout but to no real end. The set pieces are boring, pointless and far too long. There are visual ‘gags’ but they’re so slight as to be not worth the bother of doing them in the first place, and you wait for a payoff, a punchline or something/anything to raise a chuckle but it never comes.It lacks a story, it lacks laughs, it lacks purpose, and it commits the ultimate sin of any film - it’s dull. I sat straight faced throughout the whole two hours.The end couldn’t come soon enough.

Tati's masterpiece and the one that bankrupted him , this one requires close attention , as the amount of detail and subtlety going on is unbelievable . Every time you watch this , you'll discover more .