MON ONCLE

France, 1958, 119 minutes, Colour.
Jacques Tati.
Directed by Jacques Tati.

Mon Oncle won the Oscar for best foreign language film of 1958. It is considered Jacques Tati’s masterpiece. Tati emerged in the late 40s with Jour de Fete. He then created the character of Monsieur Hulot in Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday. Relying on action and mime rather than a great deal of dialogue, Tati created a character who walked through life (with touches of Inspector Clouseau but without his lack of intelligence) and interacted with people and nature. This comes to a head in Mon Oncle as Monsieur Hulot goes to visit his sister and brother-in-law, encountering the technology-driven world (already the target of satire in 1958). Monsieur Hulot does not fit in – even though his brother-in-law gets him a job in a factory.

While the film can be appreciated with the broader strokes of French-style comedy, mime and slapstick, it repays viewing in noticing the small details which Tati uses for his jokes, spoofs and satire. This is a very clever and intelligent satire on the contemporary world – and still very relevant. Tati went on to make Playtime and Traffic.

1. The reputation, of Jacques Tati in 1958, now? The quality of his comedy?

2. The film's use of mime, communication by mime, satire? The portrayal of ordinary people, ordinary situations, characteristics and mannerisms? The blend of ordinary with extraordinary? The use of close-up, detail? Is this an effective mode for comedy?

3. How much humour was gained and communicated from the variety of situations, the variety of characters both principal and supporting?

4. How critical was Tati's attitude about people, human nature, modern society and cities? Was he in any way bitterly critical, or did he comment on people's foibles and weaknesses? Human nature as comic?

5. The eye to detail in the presentation of the city environment, the new and modern house with its garden, rooms, modern appliances? The streets and the cars in rhythm? School, the house in which Monsieur Hulot lived? The streets and the people in the streets? How important was this atmosphere, how well the audience immersed in it?

6. The focus on Tati's own character of Monsieur Hulot? What are the characteristics of Monsieur Hulot in himself, the various details of his manner, his work, living alone, relationship with his nephew, sister and brother-in-law? His encounter with people in his own building, on the streets, at work? The comic side of the ordinary man?

7. The film's focus on the boy? The 'my' of the title? As the nephew of Hulot? As brought up by his mother and father in that modern home? Being taken to school by car, his work at school, friends, playing in the street, getting dirty? love for his uncle and devotion to him and enjoyment of being out with him? The exasperation of his father?

8. The portrayal of the boy's parents and their neighbours? The lady from next door and her exaggerated style, her lawn mower? The variety of people who arrived for the party? The plumber, the lady who laughed loudly etc.? How well observed were these neighbours? What comment was being made on them by the presentation of their manner and manners?

9. The film's focus on the husband and wife? The detail of the wife cleaning everything at the beginning, the use of noises with her swishing robe, the press of the buttons and the clang of the gate etc.? The fussiness of the detail of her house and her treatment of it? The husband in this environment? The boy? Details such as the preparation of the boy's breakfast with toast and eggs with all the machines, Monsieur Hulot's trying to get a glass from the cupboard and breaking the glass? The fish?

10. How important was the modern house in its look from the outside, the garden and its artificiality, the upstairs room with the eyes? The garage and the garage door? The fish, the buzzer? The dirt and the stones? The effect of all this on various people? On Monsieur Hulot?

11. The implied snobbery of the modern households attitudes to visitors and the fish fountain going on, the delivery people, the eyes to see what was going on and the humour of Monsieur Hulot cutting the symmetrical branches, being trapped in the garage?

12. The contrast with Monsieur Hulot's house and its eccentricity, the long sequence of his going right to the top, communicating with him by banging the floor, his laundry on the rooftop? His giving gifts of fruit, receiving lollies from the little girl? His encounter with the man who never got the dirt swept up? The people at the bar?

13. The humour in the presentation of the dogs at the beginning, the family dog, with its little cape, the dog roaming with the dogs at the end? No matter what happened to the humans, the dogs rap around in the rubble?

14. Comment on the comic quality of particular incidents, the whistling for people to bang into the light posts, the kitchen breaking, Monsieur Hulot at work with his footprints on the desk, trying to get rid of the plastic in the river after its being deformed, the man jumping in to save it?

15. How much insight was there in the theme about work, modern production, the making of money?

16. Tati's comment on the criteria for worldly success, affectation and snobbery in success?

17. How sympathetic was the portrayal of human nature? The human theme of the little boy growing, up with artificial and affected parents and his relationship with his natural uncle? The humour of Monsieur Hulot going for a holiday and the humour of the father making the man bang into the post at the end? How satisfying are comedies like this?