‘A film that comes from another planet, where they make films differently.’ – François Truffaut

PlayTime shows the director’s fictional alter ego Mr Hulot wandering through Paris at a time when the French capital experiences the full blast of 1960s urbanism. After a missed appointment and several chance encounters, Hulot turns up as an unexpected guest at the opening night of a posh new restaurant. There he witnesses the slow but irreversible descent of the ‘Royal Garden’ into anarchistic chaos, while embarking on a short-lived romantic flirtation with an American tourist. The morning after, the city of lights looks and feels very different.

The apex of Tati’s cinematic vision, the film will be shown in its 70mm format, a rare treat that gives its full measure to the director’s idiosyncratic and democratic humour: a successful blend of filmic avant-garde and Gallic wit in their most attractive forms.