"Mon Oncle", by Jacques Tati. A "modern" classic.

We recently watched a French film classic that was rather amazing, “Mon Oncle”.  Set in 1958 in a popular French suburb, it looks at the growing consumerism, modern architecture, and efficiency of the post-war era.   It has four main characters: a 9 year old boy, Gerard, his materialistic parents, Monsieur and Madame Arpel, and the uncle, Monsieur Hulot.   He’s a bit of a clumsy, innocent, lovable character that Gerard adores, but his parent dislike because he does not fit into their gadget and superficial world.   The director, Jacques Tati tells the story of the relationship between the four without being cynical and yet communicates a concern for the growing consumerism and over reliability on objects to get done what one can do with two hands.  What is most amazing about this is he does it all with very little dialog and relies on visual humor to get the point across.  There is idle banter in many scenes, but it’s not needed to understand the point.  Just take note of when the fish fountain in the Arpel’s garden is turned on and you’ll see the point Tati is making about appearances.  Even though some of the gadgets in the film are over the top, the subject of the film transcends the era.  There is a commentary about modernization, (The name of the factory Monsieur Arpel runs is called Plastac.)  but one can’t help but laugh at the scenes and the innocence of the images.  It’s a charming film and it won’t make you feel guilty about having certain modern conveniences, like a garage door opener.  Just don’t let the dog close it on you and lock you in because the maid is just a might bit scared of electricity and won’t touch the thing.