Mon Oncle Antoine (The Criterion Collection)
by Claude Jutra
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Actor: Claude Jutra, Jacques Gagnon, Jean Duceppe, Lyne Champagne, Olivette ThibaultDirector: Claude Jutra
Brand: Image Entertainment
Writer: Claude Jutra
Writer: Clment Perron
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Original Language); English (Dubbed)
Format: Anamorphic, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 104 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-07-08
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion
DVD Reviews of Mon Oncle Antoine (The Criterion Collection)
DVD Review: A SLICE OF CANADIAN LIFE, UN-PHOTOSHOPPED
Summary: 5 Stars
I am not going to recapitulate the plot or attempt to compete with other reviews; Ebert's is excellent, and another, at dvdtalk, gives an excellent discussion of political and other details that make the film more understandable.
What I find surprising is that no one seems to have realized that the director, Claude Jutra, seems to have made this film into what would turn out to be a play-within-a-play, the larger play being his own life, since, as in this movie, Jutra's own body disappeared in the winter, to be recovered later (in 1986). Jutra's death was presumably a suicide. The disappearance of the body was foreshadowed in this film, and the exact mode of death was described in one of his other films. In other words, I believe that he choreographed his own death.
The film has some fascinating touches, such as Benoit's irreverent boyishness being characterized by his jumping across the tops of church pews. The irony of the Lord's name being taken in vain while putting up Christmas decorations is outstanding. There they are in what amounts to a Godless company town, handling the decorations: "Careful with the Virgin Mary. She's touchy." The question about the figurine Jesus, "Where is Jesus?" is obviously being asked in reference to their family, or their entire community or perhaps mankind as a whole. The answer, "Ask the Holy Ghost, he knows everything," is appropriately irreverent: even the priest was drinking on the job there, so no human could answer the question.
What I did when watching this for the first time was to play it with the dubbed English at the same time as displaying the subtitles. The difference in the translations is interesting. One can get a better understanding of what was intended by comparing the two translations. The differences are usually minor; for example, in putting up the decorations, the verbal "Get going, it's urgent" is "Come on, now. We're in a rush." Most of the time, I found the dubbed translation to be superior and less awkward. Regarding a new shipment of jam, the dubbed statement was "You know very well I'm not crazy about it" compared to the subtitled "You know I don't like that brand." The dubbed, "Have a nice breakfast" becomes the subtitled "Enjoy your breakfast." There are differences, though. The dubbed, "I'll work on the bills with you" becomes "I've come to do my bills," which are different in their implications.
Good flick, except that there should have been one more scene before the end. Benoit finally made the mistake of taking a swig of his uncle's booze while his uncle was unconscious on the sleigh, which resulted in him pushing the horse too much so that the coffin they were taking back fell off. They never found it, and the viewer can only infer how it ended up back at the house of the dead boy, which Benoit discovered when he peeped in the window after traveling back along the route to try and find the coffin. I don't mind some things being left unsaid or to the imagination of the viewer, but in this case, I object. I understand that this omission could have been the director's attempt to symbolize the mystery of death, or the isolation of rural Canadians, whatever--it didn't work for me, though.
I couldn't help but wonder if the liquor company BOLS had paid for product placement.
Description of Mon Oncle Antoine (The Criterion Collection)
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