Rating: 
Summary: Question
Review: Playtime is not Tati's last picture. It was "Traffic". I have a problem with the Criterion DVD. The movie looks normal, but the supplements (Cours du Soir, Director introduction) look not to be with the right aspect ratio... Any idea of the reason
Rating:
Summary: Tati's masterpiece
Review: Tati spent years working on this, the summa of all his comedic direction. PLAYTIME is a study of a day and night in an unrecognizable Paris, where modernist architecture have all but obliterated the city everyone remembers. Tati's point is that this is what urban life has done to Western civilization worldwide (indeed, in the film we frequently see travel posters advertising foreign cities where the same ugly concrete skyscraper appears, blocking out the views of more distinctive landmarks behind it.) But Tati's genius is that he doesn't linger on nostalgia: no matter what has been lost, Tati's characters must move forward and make do with what they've been given. This point is gorgeously made in the film when, fleetingly, the cupolas of Sacre Coeur and the spire of the Eiffel Tower are seen as reflections in glassed doorways. As we see these reflected images, the characters in the film look back at these pre-contemporary landmarks, softly sigh, and then move forward with the modernist Paris they have been given to work in and with. But the pleasure of PLAYTIME is that this modernist Paris may be ugly but it's all a kind of glass-and-cement playground for adults: everything in Tati's Paris is breaking down and is hopelessly confusing, but this is a source of tremendous fun for the viewer--and ultimately, for the film's participants. The story follows Tati's French Everyman, the endearingly clumsy Monsieur Hulot, as his path takes him in and out of a group of American tourists (their dialogue, written by Art Buchwald, becomes most memorable when they visit a technology fair: "Ooh, and it's so pratical!" one of them intones, as she watches a model demonstrate new eyeglasses with lift-up lenses for doing one's eyeshadow.) Although Hulot's confusion with modernity inevitably brings chaos in his wake, just about everyone adores him, and by the end of the film he's memorably charmed the prettiest of the tourists. Also by the film's brilliant ending the triumph of this sense of postmodern "play" is firmly in place: everytime I see this film I choke up at the end (and can't explain why) when the traffic circle becomes brilliantly transformed (by Tati's brilliant editing and choreography) into a kind of funfair. There's something very moving in seeing that, finally, that Tati reaffirms this landscape of modernity as a space for fun and play, rather than for alienation and disintegration. I was very lucky to have first seen this film in the Eighties on a widescreen, at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, Mass. It's just about impossible to see this film this way anymore, and it's a great shame: the widescreen ratio was employed to full use by Tati, and there's often something going on on both sides of the screen that the current DVD format can't pick up. But this is small potatoes: this film is a masterpiece, and deserves to be seen in any format.
Rating:
Summary: An Often Neglected Masterpiece
Review: Tati's film is very beautiful. It has a visual look that is unlike any other film. Mr. Hulot, our protagonist is surrounded by tall glass buildings and big blue skies, a very beautiful, yet disturbing avant garde image. This sticks out in my mind as Tati's greatest film, the one that made him great and broke his career. I recommend that you see it.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Original Letterbox
Review: Terry Jones, who in a Special Feature introduces PLAYTIME, reminds us that it was originally released in 70 mm. Illustrations to his talk show us clips from the film at a 2.35:1 ratio, which is usual for 70 mm. BUT the movie itself, as shown in the Criterion Collection, has a different ratio: 1.85:1 or less, which is closer to the Standard Format. The true letterbox clips shown in the Terry Jones intro look much better than the film on this DVD. Criterion claims to restore the original letterbox, but it doesn't. Unless people like me, who want the 2.35:1 ratio of the original, object, companies like Criterion will continue to hoodwink us.
Rating: 
Summary: Criterion made good their mistake!
Review: There is not much to add to the many highly articulate reviews here, but it's important to mention, for those readers alarmed by another reviewer's coverage of the original "anamorphic flagging" error with this release, that Criterion discovered the error almost immediately and very quickly issued a second printing of this disc with the error CORRECTED. Especially for an error which did not even affect the main feature on the disc, "A moron in a hurry" seems a grossly unfair comment given Criterion's superlative track record for quality and attention to detail! Unfortunately, the only way to distinguish a First Printing copy of this disc from a Second Printing one (without actually taking the disc home and playing it) is to check the fine print at the bottom of the back panel of the disc box, where it will clearly state which printing it is. Buying online, we would need the cooperation of the fine folk at Amazon in doing this. :) Likewise, given Criterion's reputation as cinephiles, any doubts about the correctness of this transfer's aspect ratio should be laid to rest, as the amount of "overscan" present in any individual television accounts for perhaps nine out of ten such reports of minute cropping or "clipping" of the screen image.
Rating:
Summary: utterly original and astonishing
Review: This has become my all-time favorite film. It is truly hard to express how breathtaking, awe-inspiring and joyful this film is once it sinks into you. It must be watched numerous times. This is the only film I have watched back to back on two separate occasions. It utterly lacks traditional characters and plot; its lulling rhythm distracts the viewer from how revolutionary a film it is. There is no other film remotely like Playtime. It has to be one of the greatest works of art of the 20th century in any genre.
The Criterion print is for the most part great. Do not watch this on full-screen video under any circumstances.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Film But Terrible Video Transfer
Review: This is a wonderful film. Some may say it's a bit slow paced and perhaps it's not geared for the MTV generation's pace of visual stimulation. Nonetheless, patience has it's rewards for anyone who cares to take a chance. It appears that every last detail in this film was molded by the director, Tati. Unfortunately, the video transfer on this edition is so terribly soft, as though the telecine was not in focus. It's a crime that such a great film could not have been treated with greater care. One only hopes that a DVD transfer of superior quality is in the pipes.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: This is the best example of Tati's experimental approach to humor. In fact it's sort of a cubist comedy with multiple layering of material and no discernible plot in any recognizable sense. Yet it works, it works well, and at no time will you feel it's aimless or merely episodic. Sounds a bit intellectual but this film is actually filled with endless great sight gags and some of the best slapstick you'll ever encounter. Keaton aside, this has two of the best "falls" in comedy. Also, the nightclub scene at the end is a masterpiece of timing and coordination. It reminds me of classic jazz improvisation. Like Keaton's "The General" this movie bombed when it was released but I'm betting it'll eventually be added to the list of great comedies of all time. Hopefully Criterion will re-release this soon and keep it in print. Two caveats: I've noticed that people who expect comedies to be consistently manic and/or aren't accustomed to the slower pacing of many French films don't care much for this movie. It does require the focused attention of its audience to work. Also, the film was originally released in some oddball format that doesn't always translate effectively to the home screen. Because of this one major routine doesn't work quite as well as intended. It's not a major problem though.
Rating:
Summary: another good release
Review: This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film. It is the 3rd film in a series of four. The 4th film in the series was not released onto DVD unfortunately.
This film follows Msr. Hulot again as he walks through the streets of Paris while he attempts to contact a US diplomat. This flim, while not as good as the previous two still has good moments. The film gained popularity in many countries and remains popular today. The DVD includes an introduction by Terry Jones as well as one of Tati's short films, Cours du Soir, or Evening Classes. The Criterion DVD remains out of print to date and prices are currently around $70. If you want this release, it is best to get it sooner rather than later as the prices will rise until it is, if ever, back in print.
Rating: 
Summary: Huh??? A 62mm version of a 70 mm film???
Review: Very annoying to find that part ot the film image is cut off -- you know immediately from the opening credits. Particularly chagrining for me, because when I saw this in film class 25 years ago, the whole point was the care & deliberation Tati took building the entire misc en scene. Everything was planned, built and placed from corner to corner -- that's why it bankrupted him. Tragic: a 1-star DVD transfer of a 5-star film.
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