Mon oncle Benjamin (1969)

Mon oncle Benjamin is an Italian-French film comedy first released in 1969, directed by Edouard Molinaro.  The film is based on a novel by Claude Tillier and stars Jacques Brel, Claude Jade, Bernard Alane, Rosy Varte and Paul Frankeur.  It has also been released under the title: My Uncle Benjamin.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


France, 1750.  Benjamin Rathery is a young doctor whose reputation as a skirt chaser is as widely known as his generosity towards the poor folk of his town.  He is in love with Manette, the innkeeper’s beautiful daughter.  However, she has no intention of giving in to Benjamin until she sees the marriage contract, and he is strangely reluctant to give up his bachelor lifestyle...

Jacques Brel clearly relishes his role as an amiable swashbuckling Don Juan in this entertaining historical farce and throws himself into the part body and soul.  The film was directed by Edouard Molinaro, who would later work with Brel on another popular comedy, L’Emmerdeur (1973), before scoring a major hit with his cult film La Cage aux folles (1978).  Whilst Brel is rightly best known for his work as a singer, he was also a very capable actor with a strong screen presence, as this film amply demonstrates.

Boasting some impressive production values, Mon oncle Benjamin doesn’t take itself too seriously, and whilst the plot does drag a little in a few places, it is, overall an enjoyable romp.  Admittedly, the reckless use of the whip zoom does become a little tiresome after a while, but every young filmmaker should be allowed one or two indulgences, and there are worse sins than giving your audience recurring bouts of nausea.  On a more positive note, the film has an impressive cast, which includes the wonderful Bernard Blier and the beautiful Claude Jade, the latter of whom had just made a name for herself in François Truffaut’s Baisers volés (1968).

© James Travers 2008

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