Thoughts on "Playtime" by Jacques Tati

The linkage between the film and Louis Kahn would be the fact that they are very similar in term of the designs. Kahn always start every of his design from a cube and let it goes from there. And the architectures in the film are somewhat repetition (take the office’s cubes for instance). In Kahn’s designs, they consist of International style that is about simple geometric forms, form characterized by a series of volumes and honestly used of materials and the constructions in the film are somewhat comparable.

The movie basically projects the life of Modernism and the people.  To me, it is rather boring (the Modern’s life, not the movie!) as things are so systematic and everyone seems to have their daily routines. For instance, the shot when people are working at the cubical offices that orientate in an extreme systematical way. It looks very boring to me, as everything is so perfect.

But I don’t mean to say that Tati want to project that the modern world is flawless and beautiful as the impersonal spaces he has shown in the movie doesn’t interact with the space in term of communication. It is designed to discourage individual thought and expression. As far as I am concerned, people cannot interact much because of the spaces themselves, so they have to end up changing it by their presence.

The film has been designed for people who has been given specific jobs, whether it is an officer, maid, or people in the apartment. I think it doesn’t look like a livable place at all as the satisfaction would be zero due to its unlikely dull environment. However, other people impose their own consciousnesses on it and mould it in order to make their environment livable.

  

The caption of the new era...

A movie is about a photographer who takes a lot of architects’ caption in Los Angeles. What is interesting about it is that there is a girl who finds his picture somewhat “a start of American dream.” The photographer takes the photo without the noticed of what the photo will become, the life of the new age architecture.            

The caption that is really elegant is the Pierre Koenig’s Stahl house, Case Study House 22. It sets high in the hills of Los Angeles, one of the most iconic houses of the modern era due to both its radical design and its extremely beautiful view. It is said to be one of the most photographed house in the world. Julius Shulman is who to take the claim of taking the awesome caption in May 9, 1960.

Art & Architecture magazines’ editors for the objection of promoting modernism promote the caption. The caption takes place after the World War II that America wins, and it is the time of starting the new era, the contemporary architectures. Pierre Koenig, one of the architect says "Industry has not learned the difference between what is beautiful in its simplicity and what is ugly although equally simple...." and I think it is very touching.

Opinions on Le Corbusier and my favorite building..

Le Corbusier is one of my most favorite architects of all time. He is known for the father of Modernism. The building that catches my eyes most and is very interesting is the Villa Savoye.  The building has been accepted as the standout modern design. The house is on the large field surrounded with mature trees. He wants to leave the site as untouched as possible.

I think the reason why the building is located in the middle of the field is because Corbusier wants to preserve the environment. And I think that links to the reason why the exterior of the building is white, to blend well with the green grass and blue sky to make the building standout. The orientation of the columns is located as a grid, to open the down floor space clear and flow.

Inside the building, there is a ramp and I think it is there to create somewhat a movement as he says “A staircase separates one floor from another but ramp links it together.”

In my opinion, it does not look much like a house. It looks like an office to me, but it is extremely beautiful.  What I like about the construction is the axis, proportion, simplicity and it’s minimalistic.