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My American Uncle cover art

My American Uncle Details

1980 Certificate 12
  • 60
  • from 242 members

Alain Resnais's MON ONCLE D'AMERIQUE may be the best all-around display of the director's unique narrative and photographic techniques. The film begins with still photographs appearing on the screen as a narrator gives a quick biography of each of the three characters in the movie: Jean, Janine, and Rene. They are presented .. Read more

Starring Nicole Garcia, Gerard Depardieu
Director Alain Resnais
Genres Drama

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My American Uncle cover art

My American Uncle

Alain Resnais's MON ONCLE D'AMERIQUE may be the best all-around display of the director's unique narrative and photographic techniques. The film begins with still photographs appearing on the screen as a narrator gives a quick biography of each of the three characters in the movie: Jean, Janine, and Rene. They are presented first in their childhood: a picture of Jean collecting clams, a picture of Janine reciting poetry to her family, and a picture of René in his farm overalls. Then each character introduces him- or herself in young adulthood, and the film rolls as they take turns narrating their own biographies. From there, with frequent interruptions by Professor Henri Laborit, the psychiatrist who takes over as an external narrator, the film assumes the traditional third-person approach to its three subjects, following them as they marry and separate, have affairs, suffer, rejoice, have children, find success, fail miserably, and eventually meet each other. All the while, the psychiatrist-narrator adds fabulously absurd but simultaneously poignant existential explanations for why these characters do what they do. MON ONCLE D'AMERIQUE is a film in which everything has meaning. Every action, every word, each gesture, color, and feeling plays into the explanations of the psychiatrist. Thus, as the narrator explains the story, the same scenes roll several times, adding a touch of good-natured comedy to this sophisticated film.

Starring Nicole Garcia, Gerard Depardieu
Director Alain Resnais
Studio ARROW FILMS
Run time DVD: 2 hrs 1 min
Certificate Certificate 12
Genres Drama
Language DVD: English, Cantonese, Chinese
Subtitles DVD: Dutch, French, German, English, Dutch, Turkish, HIndi, French, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish
Released Production year: 1980

To Rent:
DVD: 13 Aug 2007

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Rating breakdown

242 Member ratings
  • 100
20
  • 90
15
  • 80
42
  • 70
53
  • 60
49
  • 50
23
  • 40
17
  • 30
3
  • 20
16
  • 10
4

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    • My American Uncle

    • My American Uncle
      Alain Resnais's MON ONCLE D'AMERIQUE may be the best all-around display of the director's unique narrative and photographic techniques. The film begins with still photographs appearing on the screen as a narrator gives a quick biography of each of the three characters in the movie: Jean, Janine, ...

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