Playtime (1967) Directed by Jacques Tati. 1hr 55min. Not Rated.
French mime, screenwriter, and director Jacques Tati’s hapless, old-world alter ego Monsieur Hulot appeared in four sublime comedies from 1953 through 1971. Hulot’s third go-round, Playtime, a commercial and critical disaster upon its original release, is now ranked 23rd in the 2022 Sight & Sound critics’ poll of the greatest films ever made. A feast for the eyes, Playtime stages subtle choreography within graphic, mid-century production design, as Hulot embarks on a 24-hour trip through a bewildering, hyperconsumerist Paris. The influence of Tati’s alter ego on the Pee-wee Herman character is palpable: both are postmodern clowns in distinct visual worlds, who virtuosically reimagine physical comedy.
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