Review of Mon Oncle (1958) by David L — 29 Mar 2010

This was a serene and visually pleasing viewing excursion. Over fifty years have passed and the satirical anecdotes involving modern gadgets crowding their way into the new world, and what some people do to keep up appearances are still funny. I have rarely used the adjective "serene" as I have above as a positive, but Tati achieves an abstract light-hearted plateau and maintains this effervescence for the entire film. I admire the path of this film; it goes its own way and does not concern itself with normal story telling or movie making patterns. the dialogue and script are minimilistic, but the artistic design is magnifique.

My gripes are that the lack of serious character development, mystery or dialogue was simply too limiting to make this pretty and humorous diversion anything more than that. However the patience Tati takes with showing the gizmos, the set at the "modern" house which becomes an actual realized character of the story (an impressive feat), and the painter's eye evident in every scene, makes this a movie worth watching.