Mon Oncle

Mon oncle
France
1958
116 Min
Color
1.37:1
French
DIR Jacques Tati
PROD Louis Dolivet, Jacques Tati
SCR Jacques Tati, Jacques Lagrange, Jean L'Hôte
DP Jean Bourgoin
CAST Jacques Tati, Jean-Pierre Zola, Adrienne Servantie, Lucien Frégis, Betty Schneider, J.F. Martial, Dominique Marie, Yvonne Arnaud, Adélaïde Danieli, Alain Becourt, Régis Fontenay
ED Suzanne Baron
MUSIC Alain Romans, Frank Barcellini
SOUND Jacques Carrère
My Rating : 4/5


Mon Oncle is the second Tati film in which his character Mr. Hulot appears. In Mr Hulot's Holiday(the first film) we are introduced to this character but nothing much can be gathered about his background and lifestyle. In this film the Hulot character is further developed.

Mr. Hulot, the gentleman with a peculiar gait appears in the beginning, moving through an old Parisian locality. He happens to displace a brick from a broken wall and is shown placing it back in its original position. Through this scene Tati makes an important distinction between Hulot and some other bumblers like Chaplin's tramp. Mr. Hulot is the type of person who moves around carefully and doesn't want to disturb anyone or anything(even a brick). His measured footsteps and attentive gaze emphasize this nature. Irrespective of all these preparations, Hulot tends to mess up.

Hulot bumbles, not because he is clumsy but because things around him seem to be impractical. The crisscross mosaic tiles in the garden of his sister are difficult for any normal person to walk and Hulot simply emphasizes this. He isn't very fluent with technology and hence creates a mess in the kitchen. But again, the fault appears to be in those machines rather than Hulot. He makes use of the arm chair in the house for sleeping by simply turning it upside down. This causes plenty of ire in his brother in law but one can't help smiling at the resourcefulness or plain naivety of Hulot. All these and several other scenes make the Hulot character an extremely believable one. We can relate with him and his discomfort with the surroundings. In fact, all the other characters who are more comfortable with technology appear to be crazy.

Hulot at the same time is a very human and lovable guy. He loves spending time with his nephew. He takes him to the more rustic neighborhood where the kid gets to play with children of his age. They play mischief on strangers, eat street food, and generally lead a carefree existence. The child hence bonds well with his uncle and finds his own ultra modern house as well his parents disinteresting, much to the chagrin of his own father. Hulot tries a couple of jobs with the help of his brother in law's(childs father)recommendations but all efforts seem to be in vain. Eventually Hulot is sent to the suburbs in the quest of a job.

At the end Hulot goes away but the father seems to learn a thing or two from him. He is shown bonding with his son for the first time and the child is overjoyed even though his Uncle has just left them. The film ends just like it begins with dogs running and playing around in the streets. He seems to tell us that whether it is dogs or humans, we need to enjoy life rather than get trapped in our own creations. The movie does get tedious at times since the humour is subtler and more dynamic but a little bit of patience is recommended as you will end up discovering some of the best moments ever captured on camera.