Movie Discussion (w/ Alliance Française Toronto): PlayTime

French comic genius Jacques Tati’s crowning achievement is one of the glories of French cinema and a favourite of many film lovers. Monumental and visionary  —  and cripplingly expensive (it bankrupted the actor-director)  —  Playtime (1967) was filmed at an elaborate mini-city (nicknamed Tativille) constructed for Tati in a Paris suburb. The narrative setup has hapless M. Hulot (Tati’s character in a series of brilliant films) entangled with a troop of American tourists in a Paris like you’ve never seen before: a modernist mass of gleaming glass, steel, and gadgets. Tati’s wondrous, nearly wordless movie offers an astonishingly imaginative exploration (and send-up) of architecture and antiseptic modern life. Gags teem in every corner; the musique concrète sound is a blast.

In 2012, PlayTime was ranked 43rd in the British Film Institute's critics' poll and 37th in their directors' poll of the greatest films of all time.

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We will be having a conversation about the movie PlayTime (1967) at this meetup. This is a special event being held in conjunction with the Consulate General of France in Toronto and Alliance Française Toronto, with whom the Toronto Philosophy Meetup is beginning a collaboration on events. Watch for them!

– The Consulate General of France in Toronto: https://toronto.consulfrance.org/-english-

– Alliance Française Toronto: https://www.alliance-francaise.ca/en/

For this event, please be sure to watch the movie in advance. The movie can be streamed for free through the Toronto Public Library: https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM3631414&R=3631414

You will need a Toronto Public Library card number which can be obtained instantly with a Toronto address: https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/register/

If you live outside of Toronto, you may be able to access the movie through your local public library system. It can also be rented on Criterion, Amazon, and other streaming platforms. (Message me if you still need help accessing the film for whatever reason.)

If my internet connection cooperates we can live-stream parts of the movie to watch together and discuss. (You can post suggestions with timestamps in the comments.)

The Zoom link will be posted shortly before the event. It will be visible to attendees.

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Further info

About the French director Jacques Tati (1907-1982): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Tati

Roger Ebert's review of PlayTime: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-playtime-1967

Movie description is from The Cinematheque: https://thecinematheque.ca/

More about Alliance Française Toronto: https://www.alliance-francaise.ca/en/about-us