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Tall and athletic, Jacques Tati achieved early success as a mime performing in Paris cabarets. After WWII, he switched to directing and starring in comic films. Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (1953) introduced his most beloved character, the good-natured but clumsy Hulot. Without intending, Hulot manages to create misunderstandings and mildly chaotic scenes that annoy some of his fellow vacationers while delighting others. In My Uncle (1958), Hulot is seen living amidst the outdated pleasantry of old Paris with its street characters, prank-loving kids, and stray dogs. His prosperous sister and brother-in-law attempt, without much success, to introduce him to their sterile modern world with its needless rules and absurd mechanical “conveniences.” Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday is in French with English subtitles. My Uncle will be shown in a version with dubbed English. In both movies, dialog takes a back seat to the visual gags.
John Stewart is a retired software developer with degrees in biology from the University of Michigan. He is not a movie maven, but he enjoys films with a foreign touch and believes these two will appeal to Elderwise cinema lovers.