PlayTime

In some ways this suggested to me a film that could have one side of the screen in monochrome and the other in colour. The former side would be that of “Hulot” (Jacques Tati) who has come to a Paris he knows but no longer really recognises. The latter one would follow the lives of some American tourists “doing” Europe and though lost when it comes to the language, are entirely familiar with all the new technology and modernisation in this ancient city. One exception in that group is the more adventurous “Barbara” (Barbara Dennek) who frequently finds herself, randomly, encountering an “Hulot” who can’t seem to meet anyone he sets out to meet in the way he expects to. As ever with Tati films, it takes a swipe at virtually all aspects of modern living and social behaviour, but here he also manages to extract some additional humour from the labour-saving gadgets that people install only to find they either don’t work or end up twice as labour-intensive as just employing a commissionaire in the first place. The whole calamitous enterprise culminates in a grandly designed restaurant on an opening night that starts with a tile loose and concludes with a chaotic scene that exudes a comedic naturalness worthy of Charlie Chaplin - only with more buzzers, bells and flashing lights. There’s very little dialogue to speak of, it’s really just a set of scenarios stitched together in a way that has you cringing in anticipation at some points then nodding heartily in agreement at others - all whilst this hapless man in a mac tries to salvage something from his day. It is a bit long and the deliberately slow pacing for the first half hour is a bit repetitious through 2020s eyes, but it’s salient points and characterisations have held up well and it’s still an enjoyable couple of hours.