About

Jacques Tati’s Playtime is a tightly choreographed and astutely observed response to the rapid redevelopment and modernisation of Paris under Charles de Gaulle, which pits the chaos and delight of human nature against the machine with hilarious consequences.

When bumbling Monsieur Hulot finds himself in an unfamiliar urban landscape of sleek steel and glass – and all the modern convenience technology can provide – the labour-saving gadgets he encounters are no match for his bewildered curiosity. As systems break down in anarchic ways, Monsieur Hulot and his many acquaintances reassert warmth and joy into their sterile environment.

Playtime took a monumental three years to make and, at the time, was the most expensive film ever produced in France. To shoot the film Tati constructed an entire dysfunctional city, affectionately named ‘Tativille’, which was itself an enormous contraption.