Oncle Yanco

The documentary Oncle Yanco (1967) was shown in the U.S. with the title "Uncle Yanco." It was written and directed by Agnès Varda.

Varda was in San Franciso, and one of her friends told her that there was a man named Varda living on a houseboat in nearby Sausalito. They drove to Sausalito and found Jean "Yanco" Varda. He was, indeed, related to Agnès. Her father and Yanco were cousins. So, although they had a blood relationship, Yanco wasn't really her uncle. However, it would be difficult to use "First Cousin Once Removed Yanco" as a film title.

Like Frederick Wiseman--but unlike Michael Moore--Varda doesn't usually include herself in her documentaries. However, clearly she needed to be filmed in this case, because one of the virtues of this movie was to watch the interaction between Yanco and Agnes.

As it turns out, Yanco was well known in Sausalito, because he was an excellent artist, and a very welcoming host on his houseboat. Many young people came to visit Yanco to eat, talk, and make music.

This movie isn't too profound, at least on the surface, but it's a delight to watch. It's colorful and interesting, and there's a real charm to Agnes building a relationship with an older man whom she had had never met him before and now was discovered to be her uncle.

We saw this movie on the large screen at the Dryden Theatre in the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, NY. We in the Rochester area are fortunate to be able to watch a retrospective of Varda's films, cosponsored by Rochester Institute of Technology and the Eastman Museum.

I'm sure the movie doesn't play often in theaters, but it will work pretty well on the small screen. Some of the grandeur of the setting will be lost, but the interactions will work on DVD. It's worth seeking out.

Agnes Varda went to San Francisco to promote her film "Les Creatures". Tom Luddy on Pacific Film Archives told her : "There is a man called Varda on a boat in Sausalito. Are you related?". "I dont know, lets find out" Agnes Varda replied.

They went there on a thursday and met this Yanco (Jean Varda) who was the cousin of her fathers. So she made this little movie about this old man, living on a boat with his hippie friends, making a living as a painter.

Altogether a nice little film, a typical Varda movie.

This was an immensely charming short, like given a desert - maybe of Greek origin, who's to say - that is hardy but can melt in your mouth so easily. This Uncle Yanco, who looks like a more cheerful late era David Crosby, is someone who I'd like to think my mother needs to watch this, aside from its light tone she (and many others) would take a liking to because he has mapped put and can trace his lineage and we see a family tree. I'm always fascinated by that stuff too, where people date back to or how far we can look at someone, and in this case Varda was really "Vardas" going back to the 12 century and... well, I don't want to spoil more of the fun, right?

This is fluff, but it's made with a love and sincerity for the subject that can't be separated from how Agnes is playing with the form, down to including outtakes of a moment that she is recreating with her subject of when the two met (naturally no camera at that time, so what else is a filmmaker of her stamina going to do but recreate it). We see how it's paramount for him to sail on his boat (no motor); we see his paper creations of small works of art dealing with hid Orthodox religion; and his philosophies with a literal door opening and closing for his thoughts, like he's some side character on Sesame Street (early era I might add).

I wish I had an Uncle like Yanco, so deadpan against the Establishment (they smell so bad), so happy to be where he is in life with his family and on that house boat. Don't we all wish we had someone like this in our lives? Cinema can give us these windows into reality.

Although this movie has been shot in the US by a French/Belgian director it has a truly Balkan feel to it.

Maybe that was what felt close to home.

The documentary isn't very deep but it's peaceful, colorful and interesting.

Also, I may or may not have a soft spot for hippies and the 60's.

If you're interested in the hippie culture you may even call it nostalgic.

Thanks, Agnes Varda, I had never thought that a documentary would be so pleasant to watch.

Since Agnès Varda died recently, I decided to watch one of her movies. "Oncle Yanco" ("Uncle Yanco" in English) is a short documentary that the cineaste made during a brief stay in California. The focus is a relative of hers from Greece, now living a hippie lifestyle in Sausalito and respected by his community.

One thing that Yanco - actually named Jean Varda - mentions is that Greece was under a military junta at the time. This man was well informed about the world. Varda herself appears briefly in the doc to introduce Yanco. It's not any sort of deep philosophical work, but it's hard not to like seeing someone get to meet a long lost relative on the other side of the world. Definitely see it.

While in California, Varda made a documentary about a Black Panther rally the following year. Also see that one.