Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

PlayTime Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 16, 2014

Jacques Tati's "PlayTime" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an archival video introduction by actor and comedian Terry Jones; three selected-scene commentaries by by film historian Phillip Kemp; Jacques Tati scholar Stephane Goudet; and theater director Jerome Deschamps; archival episode of the British television program Tempo International; video interview with scrip supervisor Sylvette Baudrot; short documentary feature; and more. In French or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The labyrinth

PlayTime is part of Criterion's upcoming The Complete Jacques Tati Blu-ray box set, which will be available for purchase later this month.

Gallic director Jacques Tati’s PlayTime is an outrageously hilarious film. It is also seriously disturbing. PlayTime follows the story of a mid-age man, Monsieur Hulot (Jacques Tati), who some may say looks a bit like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous character Sherlock Holmes. The most obvious difference between the two is the fact that Holmes is a man of logic while Hulot isn’t.

PlayTime opens up with Hulot’s arrival at Orly Airport. Shortly after, we see him in a giant ultramodern office building in downtown Paris, where he attempts to arrange a meeting with an important businessman. This proves to be an incredibly challenging task as Hulot gets lost in the building. He also ends up causing some serious confusion amongst the people who work there. Eventually, he decides that enough is enough and leaves.

The outside world, however, proves just as challenging to Hulot. Together with a group of American tourists, he ends up in a chic night club where everything that could go wrong goes terribly wrong. In fact, things get so out of control that the club literally begins to fall apart. Of course, its guests love the show, and by the wee hours of the night most of them are having the time of their lives. Hulot does not. He attempts to help as many of the guests as possible.

It is a well known fact that PlayTime bankrupted its creator. It took director Tati nine years to complete it, which proved to be his most expensive project. When Play Time was finally released, however, it collapsed with a bang at the box office. Director Tati ended up selling its rights in order to pay off at least some of the money he owned to his creditors.

Criterion’s Blu-ray release of PlayTime contains the film’s 124-minute version. In the leaflet provided with it, renowned critic Jonathan Rosenbaum mentions a different version, a 152-minute one, which was apparently used for the film’s premiere in France. Unfortunately, however, director Tati was asked to recut PlayTime to its current 124-min version, before prints of it were sold to different French and international distributors. Mr. Rosenbaum also points out that a lot of the missing footage from the 152-minute version of PlayTime has been lost.

Filmed in 70mm, PlayTime is a grandiose spectacle. Detail, color and camera movement have to be seen to be believed. I know that this is a terribly overused cliche, but PlayTime truly deserves it.

PlayTime is structured as a giant collage of episodes in which there is a lot more happening than one could possibly follow. In addition to Monsieur Hulot, there are a number of other characters in PlayTime whose eccentric behavior is just as fascinating to behold -- an American woman on a mission to take pictures of the real Paris, a very confused porter, a rich American man who wants to party hard, a miserable waiter, a helpless drunk, a very pretentious French woman, etc. Often these characters are involved in hilarious gigs which one could easily miss because there are two, three, occasionally even four of them happening at the same time.

I do not wish to discuss PlayTime's message; this would be inappropriate. I believe that attempting to explain how to deconstruct PlayTime would only spoil its magic. One must experience the confusion, amusement and awe Tati’s vision of the future usually causes unprepared. Then, in order to truly grasp PlayTime, one must see it again.

PlayTime Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jacques Tati's PlayTime arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The release uses as a foundation the same new 4K restoration which StudioCanal introduced in France and the United Kingdom (see our review here) However, the high-definition transfers these releases use are not identical. Criterion's high-definition transfer appears slightly darker, though as far as I am concerned this is a minor encoding discrepancy, not a byproduct of a specific tonal adjustment. In terms of definition and clarity, the new restoration has produced marvelous results -- depth is excellent and clarity/sharpness simply outstanding. In fact, some of the improvements are so dramatic that one can easily see how creative the French director was when designing and filming many of the mass sequences (take a look at the cubicles in the top end of screencapture #1). The new restoration also has a drastically different color scheme -- the prominent metalic silver and cold blues from the previous restoration of the film have been replaced with notably warmer light blues, greens and yellows; blacks have been adjusted as well and now much of the darker footage looks drastically different. This hew shift towards a notably warmer range of colors has eliminated the film's cold 'futuristic vibe'. To see some key differences, please compare screencapture #3 with screencapture #7 from our review of Criterion's 2009 release and see how the white buttons at the top of the switchboard now appear green; screencapture #4 with #21 (again from the first release) and see how the green on the traffic light has been more or less replaced by white; and screencapture #12 with screencapture #10 (again from the first release) and see how the whites and blues are now replaced by light yellows. There are no traces of degraining or sharpening adjustments. Finally, overall image stability is outstanding. All in all, I have mixed feelings about the new 4K restoration of PlayTime. I like the improved fluidity and clarity it brings, but I am not convinced that the new color scheme is entirely appropriate. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

PlayTime Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 and Dolby Digital 2.0 (original international soundtrack). For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

The basics characteristics of the lossless track are identical to that of the DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 track found on the StudioCanal release. I like it a lot. Depth is indeed better on it (when compared to the LPCM 2.0 track from the old Criterion release). Some of the random noises are also handled differently (they are better enhanced and separation is different). For example, see and compare the sequence where the busy man from the building hits the glass door and then listen to the traffic noise (the sequence begins somewhere around the 44-minute mark). The dialog is clean, stable, and easy to follow. Also, there are no pops, cracks, background hiss, or distortions to report in this review.

PlayTime Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Terry Jones Introduction - this video introduction by actor and comedian Terry Jones was recorded in 2001. It also appears on Criterion's first Blu-ray release of PlayTime. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080i).

• Selected-Scene Commentaries -
  
  Philip Kemp - this commentary by film historian Phillip Kemp was originally recorded for the British Film Institute. Mr. Kemp discusses the production history of PlayTime, the film's complex narrative, and the legacy of its creator, and deconstructs a few of the film's more prominent scenes. The commentary also appears on Criterion's first Blu-ray release. (47 min, 1080p).
  
  1. A triumph and a disaster
  2. An abstract ballet
  3. Tativille/Satirical ambivilance
  4. Theatrics
  5. Backstage/Structured chaos
  6. A disenchanted account
  7. Ruin and a recovered reputation
  
  Stephane Goudet - this commentary features Jacques Tati scholar Stephane Goudet, who deconstructs two key scenes from PlayTime. It was recorded for Les Films de Mon Oncle in 2013. In French, with optional English subtitles. (13 min, 1080i).
  
  1. The reflection room
  2. Shopwindow apartments
  
  Jerome Deschamps - theater director Jerome Deschamps discusses the use of sound/noise and the structure of the gags in four additional scenes from PlayTime. The commentary was recorded for Les Films de Mon Oncle in 2013. In French, with optional English subtitles. (14 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Tati's favorite actor
  2. Restaurant workers
  3. Nonprofessional actors
  4. Fending for oneself

• "Tativille" - this 1967 archival episode of the British television program Tempo International focuses on the pre-production history of PlayTime. Director Jacques Tati and cinematographer Jean Badal explain how specific scenes will be framed and filmed in Tativille (the unique city from PlayTime). Cast members also discuss the 'ordinary' characters they play. The episode also appears on StudioCanal's release of PlayTime. In English, not subtitled. (26 min, 1080p).

• Beyond "PlayTime" - this short documentary feature contains plenty of archival footage with the massive lot where director Jacques Tati and his team built the city which his character visits in PlayTime. The documentary was written by Jacques Tati scholar Stephane Goudet in 2002. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080i).

• Like Home - presented here is a visual analysis of PlayTime by Jacques Tati scholar Stephane Goudet. The analysis was produced in 2013. In French, with optional English subtitles. (19 min, 1080i).

• Sylvette Baudrot - Sylvette Baudrot has been a script supervisor for more than five decades and worked with Jacques Tati on three of his films. In this featurette, which was produced in 2006, she recalls her participation in PlayTime. The featurette also appears on Criterion's first release of PlayTime. In French, with optional English subtitles. (19 min, 1080i).

• Jacques Tati at the San Francisco Film Festival - the 1972 San Francisco International Film Festival hosted the U.S. premiere of PlayTime. Jacques Tati attended the event and participated in a discussion about the film, moderated by Albert Johnson. Presented here is a collection of audio excerpts from that discussion. The collection also appear on Criterion's first release of PlayTime. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - a booklet featuring essays by critics David Cairns, James Quandt, Jonathan Rosenbaum, and Kristin Ross. (Please note that the booklet is included inside the box set).

PlayTime Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The new 4K restoration of Jacques Tati's PlayTime offers dramatic improvements in terms of image depth and clarity, but I much prefer the color scheme of the old restoration. Opinions will vary and I am convinced that there will be plenty of interesting discussions, but I think that the colder look was far more appropriate for the film's unique atmosphere. This being said, Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release has an excellent selection of supplemental features that make it very easy to recommended. RECOMMENDED.