I am thinking about getting the collection, but I have never seen any of his films and not sure if Iβll enjoy them. Does anyone have any thoughts for someone who has not seen his films?
Playtime. A bumbling, good-humored fellow in a raincoat, with a hat and an umbrella, shows up the plastic and artificial modern world, one sight gag at a time.
Recommend anything directed by Jacques Tati, really, and Mon Oncle and Mr. Hulotβs Holiday in particular are sublime.
I canβt resist sharing them because theyβre so genius and light hearted.
Whatβs unique about them is the way the visual humor is infectious. After watching one, I start seeing visual coincidences and serendipitous synchronicities I might not otherwise notice.
Thanks to the category "1001 movies to see before you die" on justwatch, I gave Playtime by Jacques Tati a try. I knew next to nothing going in. All I knew was the description on Kanopy:
>Jacques Tati's gloriously choreographed, nearly wordless comedies about confusion in an age of high technology reached their apotheosis 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.
>
>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.
I'll admit, it's slow to start but builds and builds and after a while I found I didn't want to close my eyes and risk missing a clever sight gag or action by some seemingly background character which pays off in another gag later.
Realizing this was a later Hulot comedy, I then watched Mon Oncle, this one on HBO Max. Also equal parts clever and absurd, though not the spectacle that is Playtime's restaurant scene.
I'm looking forward to more from this very inventive filmmaker. If you're a fan, what else do you recommend by him or by similar writers/directors?
I watched Videogamedunkeyβs video about Playtime today and really made me want to check it out. After seeing it was in the collection I went to see how much it was but on both the Criterion page and Unobstructed View, itβs only available with the entire Tati collection, which is like $100. Outside of buying used copies which Iβm not too interested in doing, is it possible to buy them separately? This could be applicable to all collection releases.
The vote is often decided within the first hour of MM voting, so I thought I might open up a discussion the night before so that people can battle out each matchup individually.
Who are you voting for and why?
