Mon oncle

Tati's mild disdain for the work ethos and sterility of modern life swells to massive proportions as he introduces Hulot to factory life. This time, Monsieur Hulot is cast as Gérard's favourite uncle. While his parents are struggling to come to terms with the “new” family, their small son realizes all too keenly what great fun life with his anachronistic uncle can be.

Gérard's father owns a new factory and a new, modern suburban villa, complete with a large garden and a gorgeous fountain. Gérard”s mother would like nothing better than act the perfect housewife in this dream house full of the latest electrical and other gadgets, but the comforts of modern life more than once turn against the inhabitants. The fountain keeps playing up and the garage door is not to be trusted. Hulot, on the other hand, lives in a bucolic part of town, where life still goes on as usual, but has plenty of adventure to offer all the same.

As in other Tati films, modernity and humaness are at loggerheads in Mon oncle. Mon oncle was Tati's first independently produced colour film; the film won the Oscar for best foreign film.