🎥 Movies of 2021, 31: My Uncle Note: not Mon Oncle. Instead I watched the English-language version.
I’m a big fan of Jaques Tati and Playtime is hovering near the top of my “favorite films of all time” list. An astounding physical comedian, Tati’s films seem like they would be naturally grouped with silent classics like Keaton or Chaplin.
But Tati may also be the most gifted sound comedian I’ve heard. Not because of language, but because of foley. He uses the soundscape of his movies to tell jokes. The particular sound of shoes on a metal floor, the squeak of a rubber dress, the feral gurgling of a dying fountain. His movies sound hilarious.
This requires an audience attuned to sound, you have to be listening actively to hear the jokes. I think that’s one of the reasons I always find myself so engaged by Tati’s movies. And I think that’s why some people find them to be plotless, nostalgia obsessed bores.
Mon Oncle is possibly more plotless and notstalgia-obsessed than other Tati films. When he focuses in on a gag or scene, the movie is great. But there’s a bit of loose rambling in between.
