Mon oncle (1958)

Director:

Jacques Tati

Writers:

Jean L'Hôte (writer)
Jacques Lagrange (writer)

Release Date:

3 November 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Mr. Hulot Ventures Into Suburbia...And Disrupts...Disassembles...And Demolishes With His Very Subtle Satire

Plot:

Monsieur Hulot visits the technology-driven world of his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew, but he can't quite fit into the surroundings.

Plot Keywords:

Fountain | Horse Cart | Manufacturer | Restaurant | Airport

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Jacques Tati	...	Monsieur Hulot
Jean-Pierre Zola	...	Charles Arpel
Adrienne Servantie	...	Madame Arpel
Lucien Frégis	...	Monsieur Pichard (as Lucien Fregis)
Betty Schneider	...	Betty, Landlord's Daughter
Jean-François Martial	...	Walter (as J.F. Martial)
Dominique Marie	...	Neighbor
Yvonne Arnaud	...	Georgette, the Housekeeper
Adelaide Danieli	...	Madame Pichard
Alain Bécourt	...	Gerard Arpel (as Alain Becourt)
Régis Fontenay	...	Braces Dealer (as Regis Fontenay)
Claude Badolle	...	Flea Market Dealer
Max Martel	...	Drunken Man
Nicolas Bataille	...	Working Man

Also Known As:

Mio zio (Italy)
My Uncle
My Uncle, Mr. Hulot

Runtime:

117 min | Spain:120 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:G | Finland:S | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/6

Filming Locations:

Créteil, Val-de-Marne, France

Company:

Alter Films

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the garden party, when Pichard has just fixed the fountain and Hulot and Gerard are hanging from the round windows, a man in black clothes can clearly be seen walking on the roof of the house.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tout communique (2005)

Manifesto of a post-modern Chaplin

Jacques Tati needs a statue in the movie history hall of fame. He will have it, eventually. As an actor, he created Monsieur Hulot, a sort of post-modern Chaplin, walking through the world as estranged and yet delighted, as a middle-aged ET. As a director, he did about the same thing, but added a visual brilliance, a classical sense for the absurd, and a lot of poetry.

Mon oncle, My uncle, is pretty much the manifesto of his artistic raison d'etre. The uncle, Monsieur Hulot, with his timeless, almost zen-like attitude to life, is contrasted by the successful bourgeoisie family, trying so hard to shine. What happens in the movie, is simply the little everyday absurdities rising out of this meeting of contradictions.

Tati makes fun of everyone, but in such a gentle and loving way, no one gets hurt. He is truly enjoying himself, when observing the little madnesses of modern man. There is no call for anyone getting really angry at anyone else.

Still, there are statements, and they are provoking if pondered. Tati probably succeeded in balancing the 1950's unreserved delight in consumer gluttony, with a bit of a taoist reconsideration as to the significance of it all. Without Tati and his movies, it is quite likely that we would have taken much longer in glimpsing the futility of earthly possessions, and that which has for the last half-century been called progress.

And contrary to many other movies of up to the same age, Mon oncle carries the years with just as straight a posture as the one of Monsieur Hulot. They should show this movie in the schools, so that all kids get to see it and reflect.