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Playtime (1967) - 8
The wholly artificial environment of modern cities is an obstacle to natural social construct among people, it gives rise to alienation and strange behavioral patterns. The urban lifestyle is akin to life in a giant carousel or machinery, in a way, dehumanizing. So seems to suggest the comic choreography conceived by Jacques Tati. Subtle choreography, but complex and powerful. In Playtime, the singular cinematic language crafted by the French filmmaker departs from narrative conventions, this is fancy Cinema that relies heavily on technical rigor and prowess to make its point come across. Ironically or not, Playtime seems to be a cinematic product of the same dehumanizing and alienating phenomena that the film itself seems to mock about in human relations. A particularly eloquent proposal from such perspective, the notion of plot is very faint and the distance between the viewer and the human subjects within the film is so large that I almost feel like I'm watching a laboratory experiment where the effects of modern technology and architecture on human relations are dissected. But, on the other hand, it could be said that Playtime is going back to its roots, at times it is very reminiscent of Silent Cinema and it even brought me faint memories of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. It's a truly unique cinematic experience. The humorous pathos created by the numerous bizarre or absurd situations being represented is, possibly, the only narrative anchor that denounces the humanly persuasive premiss of this singular work. What's most impressive for me is the effortless way how this film immerses me in the cinematic experience despite being so unconventional. The aesthetical appeal fascinates me and the cinematography is beautiful. I haven't seen Playtime in a long time, but it maintains the same vitality in the way it intrigues, entertains and amuses me just like years ago when I first met this film. Jacques Tati deliberated the construction of a small futuristic city scenery just to shoot this work. Such ambition cost him dearly in his life, but the final product brought him deserved immortality. Playtime is a mandatory watch for any cinephile!
Playtime (1967) - 8
The wholly artificial environment of modern cities is an obstacle to natural social construct among people, it gives rise to alienation and strange behavioral patterns. The urban lifestyle is akin to life in a giant carousel or machinery, in a way, dehumanizing. So seems to suggest the comic choreography conceived by Jacques Tati. Subtle choreography, but complex and powerful. In Playtime, the singular cinematic language crafted by the French filmmaker departs from narrative conventions, this is fancy Cinema that relies heavily on technical rigor and prowess to make its point come across. Ironically or not, Playtime seems to be a cinematic product of the same dehumanizing and alienating phenomena that the film itself seems to mock about in human relations. A particularly eloquent proposal from such perspective, the notion of plot is very faint and the distance between the viewer and the human subjects within the film is so large that I almost feel like I'm watching a laboratory experiment where the effects of modern technology and architecture on human relations are dissected. But, on the other hand, it could be said that Playtime is going back to its roots, at times it is very reminiscent of Silent Cinema and it even brought me faint memories of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. It's a truly unique cinematic experience. The humorous pathos created by the numerous bizarre or absurd situations being represented is, possibly, the only narrative anchor that denounces the humanly persuasive premiss of this singular work. What's most impressive for me is the effortless way how this film immerses me in the cinematic experience despite being so unconventional. The aesthetical appeal fascinates me and the cinematography is beautiful. I haven't seen Playtime in a long time, but it maintains the same vitality in the way it intrigues, entertains and amuses me just like years ago when I first met this film. Jacques Tati deliberated the construction of a small futuristic city scenery just to shoot this work. Such ambition cost him dearly in his life, but the final product brought him deserved immortality. Playtime is a mandatory watch for any cinephile!