Playtime

One reason for the film's commercial failure may have been Jacques Tati's insistence that the film be limited to those theatres equipped with 70 mm projectors and stereophonic sound (he refused to provide a 35 mm version for smaller theatres). For another, audiences worldwide had come to love Tati's films for the character of M. Hulot; his reduction to an intermittent, occasionally supporting role in the new Tati film came as a disappointment to many (Tati himself lampooned the phenomenon in an early scene when a rain-coated pedestrian whose back is turned to the audience is mistakenly hailed as Hulot). Others disliked its nearly plotless story line, while those who only saw a single showing frequently missed the intricate, sometimes simultaneous comic sight gags performed in the various group scenes. A final reason for the film's poor reception may have been its release date; while the film's satire of modern life may have been cutting-edge when first conceptualized in 1959, by the end of 1967 such themes were old-hat to film audiences.

The escalator handrails aren't moving in the airport scene. The actors skim their hands along pretending it's moving, when you can see by reflections of its surface that it is indeed not.

The title isn't shown until the end of the opening credits. Additionally, there are no end credits. The final shot simply fades out and there is about a minute of exit music.

First assembled cut ran 155 min. with intermission and exit music. This version was edited down by Tati himself to 124 minutes as a shorter film seemed more lucrative (Tati was in financial trouble because of the non-successful run of Mon oncle (1958) and the long shooting of Playtime (1967)). It was released on 70 mm with 6-Track sound. In the US the film was released with a running time of 93 min. and 1-Track mono sound. Other versions ran between 108-120 min. and were released on 35 mm with 4-Track Stereo sound (quadraphonic). Over the years the 124 min. version became unavailable as the shorter versions were shown in wider circulation. In 2001 the film was restored and shown in its original 124 min. cut at Cannes Film Festival 2002.

Edited into Damned! Daney (1991)