Play Time is French irector Jacques Tati's fourth major film and generally considered his masterpiece. It was shot in 1964 through 1967 and released in 1967. Tati plays Monsieur Hulot, a comic character who had appeared in several of Tati's films. Tati had grown tired of playing Hulot, and in Play Time, Hulot is often just a small part of the events on the screen. Shot in 70mm, Play Time is notable for its enormous set, which Tati had built specially for the film, and for Tati's trademark use of subtle, yet complex visual comedy supported by creative sound effects, with dialogue frequently reduced to the level of background noise.