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Jacques Tati, Jean-Pierre Zola, Adrienne Servantie, Lucien Frégis, Betty Schneider ... see more see more... , Alain Becourt , Yvonne Arnaud , Claude Badolle , Nicolas Bataille , Adelaide Danielli , Andre Dino , Michel Goyot , Dominique Marie , J.F. Martial , Loriot , Denise Peronne , Jean-Francois Martial

Five years after his first appearance, Jacques Tati's M. Hulot returns with Mon Oncle, a film set along the dividing line between Paris' past and its future. Aligned (as is the film) with the former, ... read more read more...Hulot lives in a colorful, overpopulated Parisian neighborhood and, lacking employment, spends his days waiting to pick up his adoring nephew from school, and subsequently escorting him to his parents' ultra-modern house. Filled with gadgets, some turned on only to impress the neighbors, the house seems designed specifically to frustrate Hulot, who unwittingly disrupts its operations at every opportunity. Concerned about his future, Hulot's relatives attempt to find him gainful employment and pair him off with a neighbor, with little success on either front. The nearly dialogue-free film is less concerned with the family's attempts as they relate to an overall plot, and more interested in how they play into its overall scheme of contrasts and allow for Tati's unmistakable sight-and-sound gag set pieces. ~ Keith Phipps, Rovi

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Unrated, 1 hr. 54 min.

Directed by: Jacques Tati

Release Date: November 3, 1958

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DVD Release Date: January 6, 2004

Stats: 539 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (539)

  • fb100002359227440
    February 10, 2012
    fb100002359227440
    Mon Oncle is not just a funny satire of the bourgeoisie, technology, falseness and the politically correct, but is also a sweet portrait of childhood and one of the most delightfully films that I ever saw. Fresh.
  • fb1341085175
    October 4, 2011
    fb1341085175
    Assim como a imagem de Charles Chaplin ficou eternizada no consenso popular através de seu personagem Vagabundo, caracterizado pelo seu bigode, bengala e chapéu, a primeira relação que pode ser feita ao nome de Jacques Tati é de uma figura alta, de cachimbo e chapéu, vestindo um ... read morelongo casaco e com um peculiar modo de caminhar. Não se trata de uma descrição do ator e diretor francês, mas sim de seu personagem, o Sr. Hulot, que fez sua primeira aparição no filme As Férias do Sr. Hulot. Meu Tio, o filme subseqüente do diretor, apresenta o retorno do cômico personagem, desta vez entrando em conflito com a cultura consumista importada dos EUA que invadiu a França no período pós-guerra.

    Seguindo a linhagem de Chaplin, que produzia obras com um viés político e social, através de Meu Tio Tati exerce uma crítica à modernização, à perda de valores interpessoais e à criação de uma sociedade hedonista que busca o prazer através do consumo. Se com Tempos Modernos Chaplin mostrou como a industrialização estava levando o homem à alienação social, Meu Tio mostra os resultados desta época. Caracterizando os frutos desta sociedade pós-moderna, o filme nos apresenta a família Arpel, composta pelo Sr. e a Sra. Arpel (Jean-Pierre Zola e Adrienne Servatie) e seu jovem filho Gerard (Alain Becourt). Localizados em um bairro de classe alta do subúrbio de Paris, os Arpel vivem em uma residência cuja construção poderia ter sido extraída diretamente de um guia de Art Déco: uma enorme mansão composta por vastos cômodos, uma garagem de porta mecanizada, uma vasta fachada com um jardim cercado por altos muros e, o símbolo máximo da ostentação, uma fonte em forma de peixe que a Sra. Arpel se orgulha em exibir aos visitantes. Todas as manhãs, o Sr. Arpel dirige o pequeno Gerard para a escola a caminho do trabalho, enquanto a matriarca mecanicamente cuida dos serviços domésticos todas as manhãs. É curioso perceber como, logo na abertura do filme, Tati nos apresenta a um mundo onde tudo é imaculadamente perfeito na superfície: a família amorosa que poderia ter saído de um filme norte-americano cercada por uma casa onde tudo brilha e onde a sra. Arpel metodicamente se preocupa com os mínimos detalhes em relação a limpeza da residência e do carro do marido. Mais tarde ficamos sabendo, no entanto, que Gerard é considerado uma "criança problema" por seus pais, pois não se preocupa com os padrões ditados pela família e dá maior atenção às brincadeiras do que aos estudos.

    Em um bairro mais humilde da cidade, mas onde o charme e a simplicidade da velha França ainda não cederam à modernização, encontra-se o Sr. Hulot (Tati), irmão da Sra. Arpel. Contrastando com a moradia perfeita e estéril da irmã, ele vive em uma vila onde os moradores moram próximos uns aos outros e inevitavelmente se cumprimentam todas as manhãs; onde o gari varre as ruas e conversa incessantemente com o ocasional pedestre e onde as pessoas se unem ao redor das barracas de frutas e legumes para não perderem a última oferta da feira. Em um dos melhores planos do filme, vemos o grande sobrado onde o sr. Hulot mora e o caminho que ele percorre até chegar ao seu apartamento no último andar: ele caminha através de apartamentos alheios, sobe lances de escada e ainda no caminho encontra diversos vizinhos. Uma de suas principais distrações é o simples ato de ajustar a vidraça da janela para que o reflexo do sol faça o passarinho da gaiola do vizinho cantar.

    Naquele dia, o Sr. Hulot ficou encarregado de tomar conta do sobrinho. Após buscá-lo na escola, ele leva Gerard para um passeio nos arredores de seu bairro. Logo fazendo amizade com as crianças locais, o menino descobre o prazer de atividades simples como comer doce do vendedor da rua e fazer brincadeiras como distrair os pedestres na rua para que estes caminhem de encontro a um poste. Gerard vê então em seu tio uma válvula de escape do estilo de vida de seus pais, tendo a oportunidade de ser uma criança como as demais. Utilizando o menino como ponte, Tati retrata na tela o exacerbado contraste entre o mundo do Sr. Hulot e do Sr. e Sra. Arpel. Assim como o tio, Gerard se sente uma figura estranha em sua própria casa. O cotidiano de seus pais representa a idéia do simulacro, onde a simulação de uma realidade mais fácil e mais moderna é mais atraente do que a verdadeira realidade. "Os homens criam as ferramentas: estas, por sua vez, recriam os homens" afirmou o filósofo Marshall McLuhan em um de seus diversos estudos sobre a comunicação. Tal pensamento se estende ao comportamento dos personagens da alta classe de Meu Tio, pois as regras de sua conduta são ditadas pelas ferramentas ao seu redor. A casa dos Arpel, por exemplo, é equipada com a mais variada sorte de objetos e ornamentos eletrônicos que supostamente deveriam simplificar a vida de seus moradores, mas que apenas os mantém mais afastados. A casa em si atua como outro personagem do filme: um ser grande e imponente, cujas janelas nos andares superiores assemelham-se a dois grandes olhos que observam os habitantes. Não apenas isso, a casa ganha parece ganhar vida própria, chegando ao ponto de aprisionar seus donos na garagem em uma das cenas mais cômicas do filme.

    Com a finalidade de demonstrar mais agudamente como as relações são prejudicas pela intervenção da tecnologia, Jacques Tati resolve investir em cenas relativamente longas demonstrando o cotidiano dos moradores do bairro do Sr. Hulot. De forma natural, as pessoas conversam, fofocam, brigam, xingam, mas, acima de tudo, confraternizam e se divertem juntas. Cercados por altos muros, as relações do casal Arpel com o mundo esterno se resumem aos amigos de trabalho do marido e à vizinha de classe alta que acabara de se mudar. As relações burguesas são formadas por jogos de aparências, conversas superficiais, sorrisos falsos e laços emocionais arranjados. Assim como o Vagabundo de Chaplin se sente desconfortável em meio à tecnologia, o Sr. Hulot se sente recuado entre este meio que não lhe é familiar. Conseqüentemente, a tentativa da Sra. Arpel de unir o irmão com a vizinha e de lhe dar um cargo na empresa do marido falham terrivelmente. Ao invés de criar peças específicas, Tati aproveita tais situações para injetar a fita com seu característico humor. Abolindo quase totalmente o uso de closes no filme, o diretor mostra a preferência por planos abertos, o que dá valor à figura peculiar de seu personagem e nos mantém distantes da fatia mais fria e impessoal do mundo de Meu Tio. Assim como Chaplin, Keaton e Laurel e Hardy, Tati faz uso de um humor visual, favorecendo a ação sobre os diálogos. Estes, por sua vez, não possuem um grande papel no filme, dando espaço ao criativo uso do design de som: os efeitos sonoros das cenas ambientadas em meio à classe alta são mecânicos e artificiais, contrastando com os sons naturais e orgânicos do subúrbio.

    Ao início de Meu Tio, os créditos da produção são dispostos em placas de construção, com imagens das obras de um prédio sendo usada como pano de fundo. A seguir, o título do filme aparece escrito em uma parede do bairro do Sr. Hulot. O que Jacques Tati quis dizer com esta justaposição de imagens, supõe-se, é que lugares como este pequeno subúrbio e os estilos de vida que os acompanham estão sendo cada vez mais cercados e substituídos por grandes edifícios e corporações. O que era ainda um período de transição em 1958 atualmente é uma realidade cultural, o que apenas contribui para tornar Meu Tio ainda mais ressonante nos dias de hoje do que quando foi lançado.
  • 5oclockcoffee
    March 3, 2011
    5oclockcoffee
    * the opening credits
    * the soundtrack (Mon Oncle/Adios Mario by Franck Barcellini)
    * France in those lovely old times
    * Chaplin + Keaton + le bon vivant = Monsieur Hulot
    * foretaste of The Jetsons cartoon
    * the best reconciliation between dad and son

    (maybe a proper re... read moreview soon)


  • bottcorecords1
    November 8, 2009
    bottcorecords1
    Filmmaker Jacques Tati sets his satirical sights on french upper/middle class suburban living in 1958's "Mon oncle". Mr and Mrs. Arpel and their son, Gerard, live in a bizarro, modernistic "house of the future". They live an anti-septic, assembly line existence, father and son ... read moretread off to their work and school (both institutes resemble factories) while mother stays at home and polishes everything. She also maintains a "garden", replete with "fish fountain" (and you can gauge the quality of the guests coming to visit by whether or not she turns the fountain on for them). The garden is a ridiculous pasiche of sterility: it's completely devoid of plant life, save one lone cactus and a pair of cordon espalier trees fixed to the side of the house, that look like nothing more than a pair of dead tree branches someone tied to the side of the building. The grounds of the garden are treated as hot lava, and visitor may only step on the little stones that create pathways around the backyard. Everything in the house seems acitvated by electric switches: the garage is even activated by an electric eye (at one point, the dog's tail accidentally locks the Arpels in their garage). Mrs. Arpel's brother, Monsieur Hulot (Tati), is the monkey wrench thrown into all this modern living. Under his supervision, little Gerard (gasp!) comes into contact with germs and dirt, and the little "rascal" neighborhood children that delight in causing mischief. It's a little too much for his sister to handle, and she and Mr. Arpel try and devise ways to get him out of the family's hair (this includes fixing him up with the positively demented neighbor lady, and getting him a job down at the plastic tube factory where Mr. Arpel works). Mon oncle is a light and fairly bizarre film by a renowned director who made but 8 films in his lifetime. It clearly and directly inspired film-makers such as Terry Gilliam (Brazil) and Woody Allen (Sleepers), but I don't think any of the latter film-makers have captured the simple elegance of this film.
  • DrBenway
    February 22, 2009
    DrBenway
    If this film can be said to have a theme beyond the effort to amuse, it's the anxieties of an over-mechanized world for a man no longer fitting in with the technological advancements of his surroundings, including the hilariously ultra-modern home of his brother-in-law and a plas... read moretic hose factory.

    As a comedy, Mon Oncle isn't quite perfect. Some pieces end up working better than others, but don't let something as petty as that keep you from giving Mon Oncle a chance. Personally, it's one of the most entertaining films I've seen in quite a long time.
    Photobucket
  • hypathio7
    February 14, 2011
    hypathio7
    Watched this on Mubi in preparation for seeing The Illusionist. There were no subtitles provided, so I watched the movie as if it was a silent film. From what I understand about Tati any dialog that is present is intended to be background noise. You can interpret what characte... read morers mean to say from their mannerisms and tone. The comedy is quite physical, but also auditory from extensive sound effects that must have taken great effort from a Foley artist. There are very few straightforward jokes. The humor is subtle and I appreciated it more as the film continued. From the dogs roaming free in the neighborhood, a kind of metaphor for Hulot's simple life and perhaps the innocent youth of his nephew, to the robotic movement of cars in traffic and the other modern conveniences in the garden and home of the Arpels, you can tell that everything was very carefully planned out.

    The fish fountain and the outdoor dinner party that the Arpels host is particularly enjoyable. It is a treat to see what a futuristic home looked like even in the late 1950s. The two round bedroom windows are like giant eyes on the house. Nearly everything is automated. They even have what is basically a Roomba vacuum cleaner, though with a cord. Mr. and Mrs. Arpel (she is Hulot's sister) are very concerned with appearances as evidenced by the long process of making their front yard presentable every time someone comes to their front gate, but not very concerned with function as evidenced by the artistic pattern of stepping stones winding through their pristinely kept yard. A pleasure to watch.
  • ryguy4738
    July 31, 2011
    ryguy4738
    9.0/10

    Only two films in, and I already love him; Jacques Tati is now one of my favorite filmmakers, and his famous character, Mr. Hulot, is one of my favorite movie-characters yet. I say this without having yet finished the man's entire filmography; but I'll get to i... read moret soon enough. Oh yes I will. And happily so; if his films continue to be as great and pleasurable as "Mr. Hulot's Holiday" and this, then I'm guessing he's some kind of genius.

    "Mon Oncle" has more of a story when compared to "Mr. Hulot's Holiday". That film was special because it was observant, calm, and witty; and also satirical, as I must mention such an admirably fine quality. "Mon Oncle" has some of the same positive attributes, and I like it for the same reasons, but it has somewhat of a different aim. But then again, some of the targets are brought over from the earlier film and given to the later one. And I'm OK with that.

    Mr. Hulot (Jacques Tati), everyone's favorite bumbling French schmuck, has left that very memorable beach resort, and is now staying close-by his nephew and the kid's parent's house. The child adores Uncle Hulot; who also loves him back. Perhaps the kid loves Hulot even more than his own parents; given how hilariously materialistic, lazy, and rude they are.

    Hulot doesn't wish to follow in their footsteps. They may be rich, but they are, quite frankly, nothing but snobs. While they live in a big house, complete with a fish-water-statue in the front yard, Mr. Hulot is fine with living in Paris, in a neighborhood populated with school children and a plethora of dogs. He is unemployed, but he has always been one to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, so I guess that doesn't bug him much either. He'd much rather just go and pick his nephew up from school each day, be proud of himself for doing so, and allow life to run its course.

    I got the most fun out of watching "Mon Oncle" when it was allowing itself to become a fine, very fine showcase of Tati's adoration for "visual gags". There's a hilarious scene where Mr. Hulot picks up a drinking glass, drops it a couple times, discovers it can bounce due to an added thing on the bottom, and does so with a regular glass; causing that one to shatter.

    There are many jokes, and memorable scenes, in "Mon Oncle". I could spoil them all for you and be an asshole, but why would I want to do that? Sure, it's fun to be an ass, even if a guy like Tati probably would not approve, but it's not fun to spoil jokes for people and therefore I won't do that.

    Like "Mr. Hulot's Holiday", the second Mr. Hulot outing is an innocent but very funny "good time". It was as interesting as it was well-timed in a comedic sense. Hulot is, as I described in my review for "Mr. Hulot's Holiday", a "human tornado". He picks up everything in his path and takes it with him; without noticing. Here, he is living in a world that he can't understand; nor does he know that if he tried, he COULD understand it. He sits on the couch, turns it over the wrong way, and doesn't mind. He walks in the fountain water. He knows not of his idiotic behavior. But I suppose that's what makes it funny.

    I enjoyed the satire that the film presents its audience with. Those who go to the movie for what it is will certainly enjoy themselves; and I know I did. There's something special in each Mr. Hulot film, I presume, and if there's anything here that "Mr. Hulot's Holiday" didn't have; it's the supporting-cast of doggies and the addition of the futuristic-type setting. The film seems to present a combination of the past and the future of technology. This was probably intentional. As was most things in "Mon Oncle". It's a wonderful film, I enjoyed it as much as I could, and for all its goofy glory, it's a movie you should see.
  • merillupin
    November 29, 2006
    merillupin
    Extremely funny. I'm a fan. It gets a little boring, but I think if I had looked at the length before starting, I would have been alright. M Hulot is such a bumbling sweetie. *giggles*
  • sirtheory
    March 16, 2012
    sirtheory
    This is only my second Tati full-length I've seen (the first being Playtime), however, I immediately recognized the way he pulls his unique camera work, stage set-up, and busy shots--all mixed with a perfect soundtrack (both the music and environmental noise).

    However, while Mon... read more Oncle is strong in the satire of technology and the fiscally well-off, it is TOO strong. After the first half hour, I was like, "I get it. Now make me care." And it doesn't.

    Doesn't make it a bad movie... I enjoyed it, if for no other reason than Tati's grand aesthetic. And maybe I'll like it more on follow-up views--after all, Terry Jones said in his introduction that he wasn't impressed the first time he saw it.
  • columbiatch
    September 15, 2009
    columbiatch
    More insightful lessons from Prof. Tati on the examples of poor/useless engineering. Love the gag where non-diegetic sound turns diegetic.

View All Mon Oncle Reviews

Critic Reviews

September 10, 2008
Variety

Satire is not barbed or vicious and everybody can laugh at it and themselves. There's expert blocking out of the characters, creative use of sound, and eschewing of all useless dialog. Full Review

Roger Ebert
July 8, 2003
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Jacques Tati is the great philosophical tinkerer of comedy, taking meticulous care to arrange his films so that they unfold in a series of revelations and effortless delights. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
May 20, 2003
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Facing it squarely, My Uncle is perceptibly contrived when it lingers too long and gets too deeply into the dullness of things mechanical. After you've pushed one button and one modernistic face, you'... Full Review

Matt Pais
January 7, 2011
Matt Pais, Metromix.com

This very-French-yet-English-language comedy is not only slow, but its stabs at satire are milder than a quarter bouncing off Mount Rushmore. Full Review

Shawn Levy
December 16, 2010
Shawn Levy, Oregonian

The film is breezy, musical and utterly charming. Full Review

Keith Uhlich
September 8, 2010
Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York

No less a masterpiece than its Gallic-tongued cousin. Full Review

Christian Blauvelt
September 6, 2010
Christian Blauvelt, Slant Magazine

Though still a triumph of art direction, Mon Oncle's fuzzy sentiment and one-joke critique of modernity seem even more simplistic in English. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
March 21, 2008
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

This great film won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film, but Tati's next, Playtime, goes even further. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
April 28, 2007
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

This inventive comedy, a satire of the tedious bourgeois life, deservedly won the 1958 Best Foreign-Language Oscar. A nice companion piece to Chaplin's 1936 Modern Times. Full Review

Joseph Proimakis
August 20, 2006
Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses

Ο παραμορφωτικός φακός του Tati δημιουργε... Full Review

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