My American Uncle (1980)

The intersecting stories of three people who face difficult choices in life-changing situations are used to illustrate the theories espoused by Henri Laborit about human behavior and the relationship between the self and society.

Director:

Alain Resnais

Writers:

Jean Gruault (scenario and dialogue), Henri Laborit (writings)

Stars:

Gérard Depardieu, Nicole Garcia, Roger Pierre

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 11 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gérard Depardieu	...	René Ragueneau
Nicole Garcia	...	Janine Garnier
Roger Pierre	...	Jean Le Gall
Nelly Borgeaud	...	Arlette Le Gall
Pierre Arditi	...	Zambeaux, le représentant de la direction générale à Paris
Gérard Darrieu	...	Léon Veestrate
Philippe Laudenbach	...	Michel Aubert
Marie Dubois	...	Thérèse Ragueneau
Henri Laborit	...	Himself
Bernard Malaterre	...	Le père de Jean
Laurence Roy	...	La mère de Jean
Alexandre Rignault	...	Le grand-père de Jean / Jean's Grandfather
Véronique Silver	...	La mère de Janine
Jean Lescot	...	Le père de Janine
Geneviève Mnich	...	La mère de René

Storyline

Prof. Henri Laborit uses the stories of the lives of three people to discuss behaviorist theories of survival, combat, rewards and punishment, and anxiety. René is a technical manager at a textile factory and must face the anxiety caused by corporate downsizing. Janine is a self-educated actress/stylist who learns that the wife of her lover is dying and must decide to let them reunite. Jean is a controversial career-climbing writer/politician at a crossroads in life.

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Plot Keywords:

anxiety | punishment | reward | high tide | fear of punishment | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

17 December 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mi tío de América

Filming Locations:

Café de la Gare - 41 Rue du Temple, Paris 4, Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Philippe Dussart, Andrea Films, TF1

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list.

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Quotes

Jean Le Gall: I was sure a treasure chest was buried here. I got a shovel, and I dug and I searched for days on end. I kept hearing about an uncle who'd gone off to America. I was sure he'd come back to tell me where it was. For me, he was the Gold King, my uncle in America. I'm still searching.

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Connections

Referenced in Human Nature (2001)

User Reviews

MON ONCLE D' AMERIQUE IS FANTASTIQUE

This film will only appeal to two types of people 1. Resnais die-hard fans (including me) and intellectuals. This film is extremely odd and infuriating if your an average cinema goer. The film is a cinematic science lesson. But it is absolutley amazing. Resnais uses documentary techniques and surrealism and a narrator (a world renowned expert on human behaviour) who discusses the characters through out the film. It follows three people who are all loosely connected. What makes the film so superb is the fact that it is am intellectual avante garde arthouse film, that instead of isolating the viewer like they usually do. Resnais creates a wonderfully warm film. You end up really liking the characters. Who grow up before your eyes over the years. Resnais doesn't put a foot wrong.Gerard Depiedieu is great as the frustrated office worker who struggles raising a family and hassles at work.

ten out of ten