MoMA, in association with Les Films de Mon Oncle, Paris, and Janus Films and the Criterion Collection, New York, presents the North American premiere of the recently rediscovered and restored English-language version of Jacques Tati’s Mon Oncle (My Uncle) (1958), as part of MoMA’s To Save and Project preservation festival. In this ingeniously comical, Oscar-winning film, Tati’s amiably oblivious Monsieur Hulot grapples with the ultramodern “conveniences” of his brother-in-law’s automated home. Tati simultaneously shot two versions of his first color film, one in English and the other in French, and considered the distinct works with differing mise-en-scène, dialogue, and décor. On June 20, authors/theater directors Jérôme Deschamps and Macha Makeïeff, the founders of Les Films de Mon Oncle, will introduce Mon Oncle and present a split-screen comparison of the two versions, as well as never-before-seen outtakes. A special weeklong run at MoMA follows.
Organized by Steven Higgins, Curator; Joshua Siegel, Assistant Curator; Anne Morra, Assistant Curator; Leigh Goldstein, Executive Assistant, Department of Film and Media.