Play Time (1967)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Jacques Tati

Writers:

Art Buchwald (additional English dialogue)
Jacques Lagrange (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

27 June 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Monsieur Hulot has to contact an American official in Paris, but he gets lost in the maze of modern...

Plot Keywords:

Tourist | Architecture | Paris France | Salesman | Mistaken Identity

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jacques Tati	...	Monsieur Hulot
Barbara Dennek	...	Young Tourist
Rita Maiden	...	Mr. Schultz's Companion (as Rita Maïden)
France Rumilly	...	Woman Selling Eyeglasses
France Delahalle	...	Shopper in Department Store
Valérie Camille	...	Mr. Lacs's Secretary
Erika Dentzler	...	Mme. Giffard
Nicole Ray	...	Singer
Yvette Ducreux	...	Hat Check Girl
Nathalie Jem
Jacqueline Lecomte	...	Young Tourist's Friend
Oliva Poli
Alice Field
Sophie Wennek
Evy Cavallaro
Laure Paillette	...	1st Woman at the Lamp
Colette Proust	...	2nd Woman at the Lamp
Luce Bonifassy
Ketty France
Eliane Firmin-Didot
Billy Kearns	...	Mr. Schultz
Tony Andal	...	Page Boy
Yves Barsacq	...	Hulot's Friend
André Fouché	...	Restaurant Manager
Georges Montant	...	Mr. Giffard
Georges Faye	...	Architect
John Abbey	...	Mr. Lacs
Reinhard Kolldehoff	...	German Businessman (as Reinhart Kolldehoff)
Michel Francini	...	1st Maitre D'
Grégoire Katz	...	German Salesman
Jack Gauthier	...	The Guide
Henri Piccoli	...	An Important Gentleman
Léon Doyen	...	Doorman
François Viaur	...	Bit Part
Douglas Read
Bob Harley
Jacques Chauveau
Gilbert Reeb
Marc Monjou	...	False Hulot
Billy Bourbon
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Madeleine Bouchez	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
James Campbell	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Marie-Pierre Casey	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Jacques Tati

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Art Buchwald		additional English dialogue
Jacques Lagrange		writer
Jacques Tati		writer

Produced by
Bernard Maurice	....	producer
René Silvera	....	associate producer (as René Silvéra)

Original Music by
Francis Lemarque

Cinematography by
Jean Badal		(director of photography)
Andréas Winding		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Gérard Pollicand

Production Design by
Eugène Roman

Costume Design by
Jacques Cottin

Makeup Department
Serge Groffe	....	makeup artist
Igor Keldich	....	makeup artist
Janou Pottier	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Michel Chauvin	....	production manager
Pierre Da Silva	....	executive in charge of production (restored version)
Dominique Welinski	....	executive in charge of production (restored version)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Akira Endo	....	assistant director
Jean Lefebvre	....	assistant director
Henri Marquet	....	assistant director
Nicolas Ribowski	....	assistant director (as Nicolas Ribowsky)
Marie-France Siegler	....	assistant director

Art Department
Henri Berger	....	props
Jacques Brizzio	....	assistant decorator
Jacques D'Ovidio	....	assistant decorator (as Jacques d'Ovidio)
Henri Ganser	....	prop buyer (as Henri Gansser)
Georges Houssaye	....	prop buyer
Guy Maugin	....	prop buyer
Théobald Meurisse	....	assistant decorator (as Théo Meurisse)
Robert Moussard	....	prop buyer
Jacques Paris	....	assistant decorator
André Pierdel	....	props
Jacques Preisach	....	props
Maurice Sergent	....	assistant decorator
Ferracci	....	poster designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Danièle James	....	assistant post-synchronization
Maurice Laumain	....	sound editor
Camille Laurenti-Ede	....	sound editor (restored version) (as Camille Laurenti)
Jean-Paul Loublier	....	sound mixer (restored version)
Anne Louis	....	sound restoration (restored version)
Jacques Maumont	....	sound director
Gérard Menager	....	sound restoration (restored version)
Gilbert Pereira	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Gilles Gaillard	....	digital grading supervisor (restored version)

Camera and Electrical Department
J.L. Castelli	....	still photographer
André Dino	....	still photographer
F. Doszpoly	....	assistant camera
Georges Ferrière	....	gaffer
Marcel Franchi	....	camera operator
J. Monseigny	....	assistant camera
André Morain	....	still photographer
Paul Rodier	....	camera operator
René Schneider	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Jean-François Gallaud	....	assistant editor (as J.F. Gallaud)
Denise Giton	....	assistant editor
Claude Plouganou	....	synchronization
Sophie Tatischeff	....	assistant editor

Music Department
James Campbell	....	composer: African themes
François Rauber	....	conductor
François Rauber	....	music arranger
Dave Stein	....	composer: song "Take My Hand"

Other crew
Sylvette Baudrot	....	script girl
Marie-Thérèse Cabon	....	script girl
Lucile Costa	....	script girl
Jérôme Deschamps	....	presenter (restored version)
François Ede	....	restoration director (restored version)
Jean-René Failliot	....	restoration supervisor: photochemical (restored version)
Véronique Failliot	....	laboratory: 70 mm film (restored version)
Marc Goldstaub	....	location manager
Pascal Laurent	....	digital restoration supervisor (restored version)
Macha Makeïeff	....	presenter (restored version) (as Macha Makeieff)
Noel Mouton	....	location manager (as Noëlle Mouton)
Jacques Serres	....	location manager
Bernard Grenet	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Florence Abiven	....	special thanks: SIS (restored version)
Jean Badal	....	special thanks (restored version)
Stéphane Barlier	....	special thanks: SIS (restored version)
Sabine Bauchart	....	special thanks: Arane Gulliver (restored version)
Thierry Beaumel	....	special thanks: Mikros (restored version)
Tarik Belardi	....	special thanks: Mikros (restored version)
Hervé Bénard	....	special thanks: SIS (restored version) (as Hervé Benard)
Xavier Brachet	....	special thanks: Mikros (restored version)
Pascal Buron	....	special thanks: Mikros (restored version)
Fernando Caetano	....	special thanks: Deschamps (restored version)
Jean-Babtiste Carcopino	....	special thanks: Deschamps et Deschamps (restored version)
Valérie Coudin	....	special thanks: Arane Gulliver (restored version)
Yvon Crenn	....	special thanks (restored version)
Juliette Deschamps	....	special thanks: Deschamps et Deschamps (restored version)
Louise Deschamps	....	special thanks: Deschamps et Deschamps (restored version)
Fabrice Faivre	....	special thanks: Mikros (restored version)
Jean Gaillard	....	special thanks: Mikros (restored version)
Stefan Gaillot	....	special thanks: Mikros (restored version)
Claude Gomis	....	special thanks: Arane Gulliver (restored version)
Élise Graux	....	special thanks: SIS (restored version) (as Elise Graux)
Frédéric Groetschel	....	special thanks: Mikros (restored version)
Isabelle Hermann	....	special thanks: Deschamps et Deschamps (restored version)
Jérôme Javelle	....	special thanks: Deschamps et Deschamps (restored version)
Isabelle Julien	....	special thanks: Arane Gulliver (restored version)
Philippe Le Forestier	....	special thanks: Deschamps et Deschamps (restored version)
Christophe Lelone	....	special thanks: Arane Gulliver (restored version)
Solen Lembrez	....	special thanks: Arane Gulliver (restored version)
Samantha Leroy	....	special thanks: Deschamps et Deschamps (restored version)
Alexis Leverve	....	special thanks: SIS (restored version)
Valérie Lévy	....	special thanks: Deschamps et Deschamps (restored version)
Sophie Lustière	....	special thanks: Arane Gulliver (restored version)
Sébastien Massot	....	special thanks: Arane Gulliver (restored version)
Sabrina Mathoux	....	special thanks: Mikros (restored version)
Pascal Medieu	....	special thanks: Arane Gulliver (restored version)
Pierre Michel	....	special thanks: Mikros (restored version)
Stéphanie Pacart	....	special thanks: Deschamps et Deschamps (restored version)
Daniel Pereira	....	special thanks: Arane Gulliver (restored version)
Stéphane Pivron	....	special thanks: Mikros (restored version)
Annette Poelhman	....	special thanks (restored version)
Guillaume Pondard	....	special thanks: Mikros (restored version)
Luc Pourrinet	....	special thanks: Arane Gulliver (restored version)
Maurice Prost	....	special thanks: Mikros (restored version)
César Roulin	....	special thanks: Arane Gulliver (restored version)
Laurent Rusz	....	special thanks: Arane Gulliver (restored version)
Christine Szymkowiak	....	special thanks: Mikros (restored version)
Sophie Tatischeff	....	special thanks (restored version)
Stéphane Texier	....	special thanks: Arane Gulliver (restored version)
Caroline Vanhove	....	special thanks: Mikros (restored version)

Production Companies

• Jolly Film
• Specta Films

Distributors

• Les Films de Mon Oncle (2002) (worldwide) (all media) (restored version) (presents)
• Continental Distributing (1973) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Kino-Filmi (1969) (Finland) (theatrical)
• SF-Artfilm (1968) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• BFI Video (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Madman Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2004) (New Zealand) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Air France  special thanks (restored version)
• Arane Culliver  laboratory: 70 mm film (as Arane Gulliver) (restored version)
• Arkamis  sound processing (as Arkamis Sound Process) (restored version)
• Arte  special thanks (restored version)
• Cinémathèque Française  special thanks (as La Cinémathèque Française) (restored version)
• Cinémathèque de Toulouse  special thanks (as La Cinémathèque de Toulouse) (restored version)
• Imagica USA Inc.  digital restoration (as Imagica USA) (restored version)
• Institut National de l'Audiovisuel (INA)  digital sound (as INA) (restored version)
• Kodak  film (restored version)
• Mikros Image  digital restoration (restored version)
• Paris Studios Cinéma  sound re-recording
• Renault  special thanks (restored version)
• S.I.S.  auditorium (as SIS.) (restored version)
• Studio Devault  music recording
• Tutti  music edition

Also Known As:

Playtime (USA)
Tempo di divertimento (Italy)

Runtime:

France:155 min (with intermission and exit music) | 124 min (2002 restored version) | Sweden:115 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French | English | German

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | DTS 70 mm (70 mm prints) (restored version) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:PG | Finland:S | France:U | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | West Germany:12 (nf) (w)

Filming Locations:

Joinville, Haute-Marne, France

Company:

Jolly Film

Trivia:

Production took place from October 1964 to October 1967. Filming began in April 1965 primarily on a set dubbed "Tativille", where 100 construction workers built two buildings using 11,700 square feet of glass, 38,700 square feet of plastic, 31,500 square feet of timber, and 486,000 square feet of concrete.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dinner Time (2005)

Greatest film ever?

The only other movie I know that is as profound and beautiful and challenging as this is Tarkovsky's "Stalker." But "Playtime" may prove to be a better, more accessible example of what films can do. Tati so radically deconstructs space and depth within a film that it is almost unrecognisable: Spielberg doesn't have this level of craftsmanship, and not even Kubrick ever did. Virtually dialogue-free and spryly paced, "Playtime" works on nearly any possible level.

It can be seen as simply a superficial comedy, and as that, it succeeds because it is, well, very funny. (Modern technology is the golden cow that Tati playfully cuts down to size.) On the opposite end of the spectrum, however, is a work that stands the art of film on its head, commenting wryly on the nature of human beings, culminating to a party in a restaurant that gets completely out of hand. It's so beautiful.

Words really don't do justice to this movie. One last thing: The big screen is the ideal medium to see this film; that's true of every film, but this one more than most others. Unfortunately, I haven't had this privelege, and if you don't either, rent it anyway. It's too good to be missed.