Mon oncle
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Synopsis
Slapstick prevails when Jacques Tati's eccentric hero Monsieur Hulot is let loose in the ultramodern home of his brother-in-law, and in an antiseptic factory that manufactures plastic hose. Tati directs and stars in the second entry of the Hulot series, a delightful satire of mechanized living.
Picture 6/10
Criterion presents Jaque Tati’s Mon oncle in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 on this dual-layer disc. This DVD was discontinued and unavailable for a short time but was re-released once Criterion was able obtain the rights again. For this review I am referencing the original disc but the new release is the same.
This colour transfer admittedly didn’t exactly wow me over when I first saw it and looking at it again now it still doesn’t. It’s fine enough and is most certainly very watchable but it’s always looked a little lifeless to me despite how colourful the film is. I’ve always found everyone to look a little too pasty and there are certain sequences, like the home garden that marks a lot of the film’s settings, that I felt should be popping out more. This could be by design but even scenes with murkier brownish colours don’t look properly saturated and it has a murky look overall.
The transfer also suffers from a few artifacts and there are moments where edge-enhancement is noticeable. While I can’t say the image ever looks soft I also can’t say detail is very strong as some sequences, specifically longer shots, look a little fuzzy.
Considering the visuals in the film the transfer could use a bit of a boost. As it stands it’s watchable but unimpressive.
Mon oncle - Screen Captures
Audio 6/10
Unlike Criterion’s DVD for M. Hulot’s Holiday, which included an English dub, Mon oncle comes with only a French Dolby Digital 1.0 mono track. It’s actually a bit of a surprise coming off a bit robust if a little edgy. The track is clean, free of noise or distortion and presents fairly sharp dialogue.
Extras 4/10
Again, like M. Hulot’s Holiday and the original DVD for Playtime Criterion includes very little in the way of supplements.
Again we get a Terry Jones introduction, a 5-minute piece where Jones talks about his first experience with the film. He expresses his initial disappointment with it but then suggests it has become his favourite and believes it may be because it’s “less charming” and bleaker in the fact it takes place in a world where the character of Hulot doesn’t belong (and the film suggests that Hulot’s world will be gone at the end.) He talks a bit about the satire against “status” and the modern world and of course breaks down gags he likes. It’s a shame he couldn’t provide a commentary because he offers a great analysis of the film, though maybe him breaking down every gag in the film would be a bit much.
And like the other first round Hulot titles from Criterion we get a short film, this time a 15-minute 1947 film called L’ecole des facteurs directed by and starring Jacques Tati. It’s another charming piece of physical comedy, showing off Tati’s natural talent. The plot features Tati as a postman (possibly the same that would appear in Jour de fête, though I don’t know for sure) going out on his rounds after finishing a sort of crash course on what it takes to be a postman. Again it’s a charming piece and I’m glad Criterion chose to include it. The quality of it varies, looking rather good at first, but it seems to deteriorate as the film progresses. Sound quality also leaves a bit to be desired.
And the release includes an essay on the film by Matt Zoller Seitz going over the satirical elements against the modern world found in the film.
Like with M. Hulot’s Holiday I’m disappointed more wasn’t rounded up about the Hulot character and Tati’s career (though future Tati releases would feature more) but what we get here is at least decent enough.
Closing
While I know a lot of people are more mesmerized by Playtime, Mon oncle is probably my favourite of the Tati films I’ve seen, though do find all of his Hulot films (even the less popular Trafic) quite charming. I was a tad disappointed with this release, though, more in the transfer department. Since Criterion revisited Playtime with a new transfer I’d love to see them give this one another go at some point.
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