Playtime - Criterion Collection

Rating:
Summary: two hours i am never getting back
Review: What a horrendous experiment in comedy...if you like Jerry Lewis, I guess you'll love this travesty of a film. If you are a film snob, you will love it. Personally, as neither, I am grossly disappointed and just really didn't get "the joke." It was trite and dull....there was no point....the plot...technology encroaching on humanity....well, good try, but again not for me. If I am looking for a laugh, I will watch a good Coen brothers film.

Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece, but format matters
Review: While "Playtime" did not bowl me over the first time I saw it, I now consider it one of the greatest films ever made. That's because it's not a film you can "get" in a single viewing--there's simply too much going on, and no conventional plot to help you along. However, it does what any true masterpiece must do: it changes the way you look at the world. I know every time I've seen it, walking around in the city afterwards seemed a lot funnier.

The only reason I can't give this DVD 5 stars has to do with it being in the wrong widescreen format, as a previous reviewer stated. This is by no means nitpicking, as one of the delights of "Playtime" is seeing how Tati uses the frame so inventively. Gags can pop up anywhere in a shot, so active viewing is required. Unfortunately, in the format Criterion uses here, some jokes that occur at the edges of the picture can be lost. For example, in the bar of the restaurant, there's a model airplane that starts to droop when it gets too hot, but here only the nose of the plane can be seen.

The only argument in Criterion's favor is that this is a subtle movie full of small but significant details, and some of those could be harder to pick up if the film was presented in its true format. For example, near the end of the film, Barbara (the American tourist who's captured M. Hulot's interest) puts her hand on his shoulder while she adjusts her shoe. Hulot looks at the hand and sees she's wearing a wedding ring. Tati knew this could be noticed when projected in the 70mm format. However, on my TV at least, this is nearly impossible to see, even in this version. Ultimately, though, the true format should have been respected.

The short "Cours du soir" included here is a nice bonus, as it had been fairly hard to find. In it, Tati tries to teach some night school students a few of his physical comedy routines. It's not hilarious, but it is worth watching to see how much skill he had in making something like tripping on some stairs or walking into a wall look completely natural and effortless-and funny.

Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece, but format matters
Review: While "Playtime" did not bowl me over the first time I saw it, I now consider it one of the greatest films ever made. That's because it's not a film you can "get" in a single viewing--there's simply too much going on, and no conventional plot to help you along. However, it does what any true masterpiece must do: it changes the way you look at the world. I know every time I've seen it, walking around in the city afterwards seemed a lot funnier.

The only reason I can't give this DVD 5 stars has to do with it being in the wrong widescreen format, as a previous reviewer stated. This is by no means nitpicking, as one of the delights of "Playtime" is seeing how Tati uses the frame so inventively. Gags can pop up anywhere in a shot, so active viewing is required. Unfortunately, in the format Criterion uses here, some jokes that occur at the edges of the picture can be lost. For example, in the bar of the restaurant, there's a model airplane that starts to droop when it gets too hot, but here only the nose of the plane can be seen.

The only argument in Criterion's favor is that this is a subtle movie full of small but significant details, and some of those could be harder to pick up if the film was presented in its true format. For example, near the end of the film, Barbara (the American tourist who's captured M. Hulot's interest) puts her hand on his shoulder while she adjusts her shoe. Hulot looks at the hand and sees she's wearing a wedding ring. Tati knew this could be noticed when projected in the 70mm format. However, on my TV at least, this is nearly impossible to see, even in this version. Ultimately, though, the true format should have been respected.

The short "Cours du soir" included here is a nice bonus, as it had been fairly hard to find. In it, Tati tries to teach some night school students a few of his physical comedy routines. It's not hilarious, but it is worth watching to see how much skill he had in making something like tripping on some stairs or walking into a wall look completely natural and effortless-and funny.