strange headache
Banned
Today I'd like to draw your attention to one of one of my most cherished movies and the interesting story behind it. A movie that has been recognized as one of the greatest films ever made but to this day remains largely unknown. A movie that in itself is not only hilarious to watch, but also a brilliant and critical insight into the workings of modern society. It is also a tale of how good things don't always lead to good outcomes. In the hope that this topic might pique your interest, I present to you Jacques Tati's most iconic movie, Playtime.
About Jacques Tati
Jacques Tati is a French mime, actor, comedian and filmmaker who is best known for his iconic comedic character Monsieur Hulot. Hulot, which echoes "Charlot", the French name for Charlie Chaplin's character The Tramp, is a homage to the visual comedy of cinema's golden age. As such Tati stands firmly in the tradition of american cinema's most iconic comedians, like Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Rowan Atkinson cited Hulot as an influence for his well known character, Mr. Bean. Being a French filmmaker, Tati unfortunately never really managed to gain an international audience, but to this day his cinematographic work stands on par with cinema's greatest.
The movie Playtime was Tati's greatest masterpiece, but also his greatest downfall. This risky project was the most ambitious and risky work of his career. The movie was 9 years in the making and by the time of its release the most expensive French movie ever produced. For the production of the movie Tati built an entire glass and steel mini-city, named Tativille, which left him mired in debt.
Playtime, the failed masterpiece of a cinematic genius
Playtime, despite its incredible pedigree is only a minor entry in 1960s international cinema, and yet it’s also one of the era’s great films. It centers around Tati's character Monsieur Hulot exploring and observing the estranged and sterile world of a modern Paris. This futuristic and cleanly vision of Paris is so bereft of individual identity that it could as well be a stand in for any major metropolitan city under threat of having its character wiped out with antiseptic architecture. Contrasted to this representation are rare fleeting images of Parisian landmarks seen in reflective surfaces, almost mournfully reminiscent of the once romantic and characteristic city. Clean and brutally efficient constructions of steel and glass have come to replace the historical rag rug of Paris.
Tati’s vision of Paris resulted in Playtime‘s budget to balloon out of control. He built his set on the outskirts of Paris, ordering the construction of two massive buildings that, in total needed more than 550,000 square feet of various materials to erect, not to mention its own power plant to sustain its energy demands. Nowadays such gigantic expenditures have become standard for most blockbuster movies that go well beyond the $300 million mark, but released in 1967, Tati's undertaking was enormous.
Despite it's commercial failure, Tati's managed to produce a masterpiece of cinematic history that would still be celebrated to this day. Like a daring astronaut exploring a strange alien landscape, Tati's protagonist investigates with brutal comedic efficiency every nook and cranny of this own weird world he created. A world of dehumanizing efficiency where every little pawn fulfills his function like a tiny little cog. Having no specific function, no clearly defined goal and nowhere to fit in, Tati retains his humanity as he often finds himself befuddled by the teleological robotic routine of the people he encounters.
Watch the first 18 minutes of the movie
The movie touches on many of the same themes as Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times, the dehumanizing effect of a brutally efficient work orientated world by meticulously dissecting its clockwork movement. Like Chaplin, Tati is the wrench that is being thrown into this machinery. The spectator explores this alien world through Tat's protagonist, who is more like an observing bystander, a distant errant that nobody quite sees or notices. While both movies touch on the same themes, Tati's movie is not a mere ripoff. As Hulot is not bound by functionality, Tati can explore the boundaries and absurdities of modern society from a different perspective, one that is not constrained by imposed duty. While Chaplin's character is often directed by external forces, Hulot is free to explore according to his own leisure.
The movie approaches its own story in a very orthodox manner as the narrative is not structured around conventional means of storytelling. The movie itself does not feature a story-arc per se, it is more of a comedic exploration of different settings and situations that are strung together by hazard. There is no resolve, no proper end, no driving motivation and as such it might not be to everyone's liking. But if you're interested in social criticism, dystopia, visual comedy or simply movies that are different by trying something new, you should give it a chance.
The greater context
The movie itself as well as the story behind its production convey an essential life lesson. No matter how much work, care and thought you put into a project, effort alone is not a guarantee for success. Tati's own life is a testament to how the achievement of his greatest work can also become a genius' own undoing. Tati died in poverty and after his death the French people mourned the passing away of one of its greatest filmmakers. One of the biggest French newspapers had the following to add: "Farewell, Monsieur Hulot. We mourn him in his death, but we should have aided him while he was still alive!"
Our society does not always value that which is great and often tends to recognize its worth after it has been lost. And that is okay, such is the imperfection of human nature. Even though Tati ruined himself through the realization of his uncompromising vision, I don't think he ever regretted his decision. He got to realize his piece of art without compromise and I'd say that's exactly the reason why this movie became such a masterpiece. It wasn't a movie designed by committee, orientated towards the needs and wants of a particular target audience. Playtime is a commercial folly, but also a brilliant piece of work that would never had seen the light of day from a purely profit orientated mindset. In a sense, the central message of the movie is vindicated by its own production story.
Tati died in 1982, but his movie will live on as part of our cultural history as it keeps inspiring people decades after his own demise.
Conclusion
Without going too deep into the themes and comedic aspects of the movie, as those are best explored by experiencing the movie for yourself, I warmly recommend giving this funny and insightful movie a watch. Considering its age, the movie still holds up amazingly well, so even if you're put off by old movies you might still enjoy this, be it only for the fantastic humor. After all, the movie was way ahead of its time and Tativille is an eerily similar depiction of our modern society. In a sense, his movie was science-fiction that, over fifty years later, became reality.
A great breakdown of one of the movie's most brilliant comedic scenes
I don't know if there is an English version of the movie, but it doesn't really matter as there's not a whole lot of dialogue anyway. Most of the humor and thematic essence are conveyed visually. In contrast to the very verbose approach of today's movies, it's a refreshingly different approach as Tati manages to emphasize on the core strengths of the medium.
So if you like, give it a shot or just watch the few scenes that I've posted here and report back with your thoughts. I'd be very much interested in hearing your opinions on this.
