The newly-restored 70mm print is 125 minutes. The original version was 155 minutes, but those cuts are now lost forever. See details on the restoration here:
http://www.in70mm.com/news/2003/playtime/restoration.htm
Criterion is in fact working on a release based on the restoration, but there's no word on release dates yet. The latest info I could find is from 2/18/2004. Lee Kline, Criterion's technical director, says this:
"The lowdown on PLAYTIME is complicated. Scanning 70mm material has numerous problems...The machines that can do it are not all that great, and there are only a few in the world. Most facilities have souped up machines that they've created themselves to do the job. For instance, in the case of SPARTACUS, I spoke with Bob Harris about the idea that transferring a 35mm IP on a good machine as opposed to a large format element on a not so good machine might be better. We're going to do some tests on PLAYTIME. More to come on this one."
Ideally, this is something you should see on the big screen in 70mm, because DVDs simply don't have the resolution to accommodate the detail you get on 70mm.
Also, someone else mentioned the BFI release. It also appears to be based on the new restoration, with a runtime of 125 minutes, and it will be released on September 6:
http://www.bfi.org.uk/videocat/more/tati/index.html?PHPSESSID=e56c0727e55109fdefaf2fd4ad4d0d65
Finally, both the 70mm print and 35mm copies are playing at various locations in the US over the next few months. It opens today at the Music Box in Chicago and it's at the Rafael Film Center in SF from September 24-26. Presumably, it will go elsewhere as well (hopefully Boston!).
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TrevorAclea
20 years ago
Well, I got the BFI disc today, and as fgar as extras, like the BFI's disappointing The Leopard (a miserly one-disc edition with only brief Cardinale interview, single trailer and commentary) and fairly half-hearted single-disc Le Cercle Rouge, it's a fair bet Criterion will come up with the much better package. It's okay but not exceptional - audio commentary by Philip Kemp, a couple of short documentaries, an interview with the continuity girl and trailers for the film as well as Les Vacandes de M. Hulot and Mon Oncle. The film is 1.85:1 and the 126-minute version.
My advice is to wait and see what's on the Criterion.
"Gentlemen, is this a great moment or a small one? I'm afraid I don't know."
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joemama69-1
20 years ago
I am *so* glad I saw the full length original on big screen in the early 70's! Little did I know at that time that a film a wonderful as this would be chopped up and the subject of controversy.
The Detroit Institute of Arts had a Tati 'festival' and screened all of his major films over a period of weeks. Their projection system is state of the art with the screen properly masked and the level of detail was stunning. I'd bet Tati himself would have enjoyed viewing his masterpiece in that there!
BTW, I laughed more at Mon Oncle, but feel that Playtime is a more mature work of cinematic art. I just wish I could see it again as Tati intended it to be.
FWIW!
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