Electric Politics | The Agony And The Ecstasy

For over thirty years I've been a huge fan of Jacques Tati. Thus it was a signal pleasure to learn that Playtime (1967), a film I hadn't ever seen, was re-released this month on DVD. Of course I snapped up a copy. Tati, for those of you not familiar, is probably something of an acquired taste. People love him or hate him. I locate him firmly in the tradition of failed comic geniuses like Buster Keaton—failed because they could not figure how to work with the money side of movie-making. Playtime all told took about ten years to put together, it was, at the time, the most expensive movie ever made in France, and it bankrupted Tati, who lost everything including his house and rights to his earlier films. Though Playtime could not recoup its costs, after its release it did nevertheless score a mild critical success. In retrospect it gains ground: for some, it is a spectacular, magical work of inspiration, a one-of-a-kind oeuvre.

I don't disagree with most of what Ebert says about Playtime, but Ebert has left out half the subject. Yes, Playtime is a whimsical, often gentle and loving look at humanity. It is also deeply pessimistic. Tati's sensitivity to suffering in modern times goes well below the surface to encounter, at some abstract level, our capacity for self-inflicted destruction. I doubt Tati could have imagined the specifics of global warming, or post-modern empires built on the bones of indigenous people who become inconvenient, but he knew the germ when he saw it. Playtime contains a terrible sorrow, balanced by Ebert's light, and a cautionary message about human responsibility. Five out of five stars.

‡ Note that there may be issues with the DVDs in this release. I had to fiddle with my copy to get the film to play, and a couple shorts on disc two wouldn't play at all.



Home FAQ Contact Archive EP Store EP Alerts © 2012 ElectricPolitics	The Agony And The Ecstasy For over thirty years I've been a huge fan of Jacques Tati. Thus it was a signal pleasure to learn that Playtime (1967), a film I hadn't ever seen, was re-released this month on DVD. Of course I snapped up a copy. Tati, for those of you not familiar, is probably something of an acquired taste. People love him or hate him. I locate him firmly in the tradition of failed comic geniuses like Buster Keaton—failed because they could not figure how to work with the money side of movie-making. Playtime all told took about ten years to put together, it was, at the time, the most expensive movie ever made in France, and it bankrupted Tati, who lost everything including his house and rights to his earlier films. Though Playtime could not recoup its costs, after its release it did nevertheless score a mild critical success. In retrospect it gains ground: for some, it is a spectacular, magical work of inspiration, a one-of-a-kind oeuvre. I don't disagree with most of what Ebert says about Playtime, but Ebert has left out half the subject. Yes, Playtime is a whimsical, often gentle and loving look at humanity. It is also deeply pessimistic. Tati's sensitivity to suffering in modern times goes well below the surface to encounter, at some abstract level, our capacity for self-inflicted destruction. I doubt Tati could have imagined the specifics of global warming, or post-modern empires built on the bones of indigenous people who become inconvenient, but he knew the germ when he saw it. Playtime contains a terrible sorrow, balanced by Ebert's light, and a cautionary message about human responsibility. Five out of five stars. ‡ Note that there may be issues with the DVDs in this release. I had to fiddle with my copy to get the film to play, and a couple shorts on disc two wouldn't play at all. Posted by George Kenney on September 9, 2006 9:47 AM « Synaesthesia \| Main \| Sic Semper Tyrannis » Share this post: Leave a comment Name Email Address URL Remember personal info? Comments (You may use HTML tags for style)

The Agony And The Ecstasy

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