"Playtime"
1967
Directed by Jacques Tati

"Tati's most brilliant film. A bracing reminder that films can achieve the status of art.  Gloriously funny." (Vincent Canby, New York Times)  With a gift for slapstick reminiscent of Chaplin and Keaton - and a sense of lunacy that makes the Marx Brothers seem tame - Jacques Tati (Mr. Hulot's Holiday, Mon Oncle) offers this outrageous depiction of modern life. A symphony of sight and sound gags, Playtime follows Mr. Hulot, Tati's lovable alter ego, on his way to a business appointment that he will never keep. 

Continually derailed by misleading signs and high-tech gadgets, Hulot's path crosses hilariously with tourists searching in vain for old Paris. Charming vignettes lead to a riotous final sequence, in which a new restaurant collapses under the weight of its own technology. Throughout the film, a sea of steel and glass threatens to swallow all humanity, but Hulot's gentle heart remains undisturbed. Digitally remastered and letterboxed. French with English subtitles. 120 minutes.