Episode 120: PLAYTIME (1967)

As Jacques Tati’s best-remembered film, PLAYTIME is a technical achievement on many levels. The crew built an entire city block, complete with skyscraper façades and cardboard extras, to manufacture a grey, corporatized Paris against which to feature its many layered gags. It’s fitting, then, that the film’s third-act script-flip, which corrals us into a wonderfully chaotic nightclub, feels so freeing. But because the film is neither as pointed as MON ONCLE (1958) nor as dour as TRAFIC (1971), PLAYTIME occasionally feels as plastic as the staged city it wanders through. Support organizations and causes providing aid to the Palestinian people: - Medical Aid for Palestinians https://www.map.org.uk/donate/donate - Palestine Children's Relief Fund https://pcrf1.z2systems.com/np/clients/pcrf1/donation.jsp?campaign=342& - Palestine Appeal 2021 https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/palestineappeal2020 - HR 2590 https://act.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/a/palestinian-children-families-act - Stop Jerusalem Expulsions https://secure.everyaction.com/wUAYmd6RzEacXxN3WQuYQQ2 Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trylovepodcast and email us at [email protected] to get in touch! Buy tickets and support the Trylon at https://www.trylon.org/. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Music: “L'opéra des jours heureux (Play Time)" by Francis Lemarque from the PLAYTIME soundtrack. 00:00 - Episode 120: PLAYTIME (1967) 2:06 - The patented Aaron Grossman Summary 3:38 - Jason’s thoughts 6:32 - Cody’s thoughts 10:55 - Harry’s thoughts 14:52 - Aaron’s thoughts 20:25 - How architecture corrals society 26:38 - Elevating people above their environment 29:43 - Barbara, Hulot, and the humanity of PLAYTIME 37:20 - All that glass 47:07 - From daytime streets to nighttime interiors 48:50 - Aaron’s science fiction take 53:54 - Stray thoughts 56:44 - Ranking Tati 1:06:18 - Cody’s Noteys (Omelette du Triviá)