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Film: Playtime

Actor/director Jacques Tati’s gloriously choreographed, nearly wordless comedies about confusion in an age of high technology reached their apex with Playtime. For this monumental achievement, a nearly three-year-long, bank-breaking production, Tati again thrust the lovably old-fashioned Monsieur Hulot, along with a host of other lost souls, into a baffling modern world, this time Paris. The film’s massive set, known as Tativille, was built in Saint-Maurice, in the southeast corner of Paris, complete with its own power plant, approach road, and two entire buildings whose amenities included a working escalator. With every inch of its superwide frame crammed with hilarity and inventiveness, Playtime is a lasting record of a modern era tiptoeing on the edge of oblivion, and one of the great masterpieces of postwar French cinema.

This film appears as part of our GAME CHANGERS Series, featuring twelve films that revolutionized cinema. Each film in the series represents a bold step forward; using new and adventurous techniques, courageous directorial visions, or telling stories from new points-of-view.

In addition to the screenings being free of charge, all twelve films are preceded by a Happy Hour starting at 6:30pm, featuring half price beer and wine as well as free snacks and soda. Join us and experience a piece of cinematic history!

The Bardavon/UPAC film series is sponsored by Marshall & Sterling, Herzog’s, and Woodstock Film Festival.