Jacques Tati built an entire city to film his masterpiece, then went bankrupt.
In short: To capture his vision of a hyper-modern, sterile Paris, Jacques Tati constructed a massive, custom-built set known as Tativille. The project was so ambitious and expensive that it required its own power plant and a hundred workers, eventually forcing the director into personal bankruptcy when the film failed commercially.
Released in 1967, Playtime is a satirical comedy that follows the befuddled Monsieur Hulot as he navigates a maze-like, mid-century modern city. Tati, who directed and starred in the film, sought to contrast the rigid, straight lines of modern urban life with the natural, curvaceous movements of human beings. To achieve this, he shot on high-resolution 70 mm film, eschewing close-ups in favor of wide shots that allowed the audience to track multiple characters and complex physical comedy simultaneously.
The production was a logistical marvel and a financial disaster. Tati spent 17 million francs to build the set, which included giant photographs to simulate building facades and even life-sized cutouts of people to save on the cost of extras. Despite these efforts, budget overruns and storm damage—which cost 1.4 million francs to repair—stretched the shooting schedule to three years. Tati famously noted that the set's cost was equivalent to hiring a major star like Elizabeth Taylor, yet the film's commercial failure upon its initial release left him in deep debt.
Retrospectively, the film is considered a magnum opus of cinema. It is celebrated for its intricate sound design, where dialogue is often reduced to background noise, and its clever use of color, which is largely restricted to shades of grey and blue with deliberate red accents. By the 2022 British Film Institute poll, critics ranked it the 23rd greatest film of all time. While it once led to Tati's bankruptcy, Playtime now stands as a testament to his uncompromising artistic ambition.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Playtime
- Also: Art Institute of Chicago — Playtime · CC0 (data); description CC BY 4.0
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/art-playtime.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in Film and television · More in Art · Latest · A–Z · All topics
