Third place (tied):
Belle de Jour (dir. Luis Buñuel) [108 points / 17 votes]…
… and Point Blank (dir. John Boorman) [108 points / 17 votes]
Second place:
Bonnie and Clyde (dir. Arthur Penn) [115 points / 19 votes]
And the winner is…
Play Time (dir. Jacques Tati) [129 points / 19 votes]
“Like Red Desert or 2001, Jacques Tati's Play Time is a highly skeptical view of the high modernity of the 1960s, the computerized, capitalistic grey rationalism overtaking all aspects of life. But whereas Kubrick and Antonioni's visions are austere and dour, Tati's is light and whimsical, essentially human and reachably optimistic in ways that other filmmakers could never manage. While Kubrick, Antonioni, Bergman and Godard saw the era as an ennui-laden morass of commercialism and despair, Tati was wise enough to know that those miserable monochrome rooms were still ultimately a trend, that the basic messiness of humanity would emerge triumphant - although what might lay next would remain a mystery.
“The centerpiece of the film, the opening night at a restaurant that turns into a chaotic free-for-all, is a masterpiece of organized chaos and visual comedy. This 49-minute sequence stands as one of the highest achievements in cinema all by itself, a string of mini-narratives and gags that slowly build on each other into a roaring crescendo of vitality - of human life unconstrainable by the bounds of the rather tacky restaurant itself, which begins to crumble mere hours after it opens.
“In the category of ‘super-expensive personal visions that basically ruined a director's career,’ Play Time is hard to beat, leading Tati into debt for the rest of his life. And yet, what a glorious folly, a quiet, delicate symphony about the absurdity of everyday urban life that rewards patient observance and attention to tiny details, from the smirk of a waiter to the buzz of a neon light.” ~ Jeff McMahon
Click here for complete results.
No comments:
Post a Comment