Oncle Yanco

Most of us celebrate family by throwing a party. Agnes Varda does it by making a film. In this case, while she was in San Francisco, she went to Sausalito see a man mentioned in a book who had the same last name as her. It turned out to be her father's cousin.

Of course, making a film is a little more involved than throwing a party. A party may involve just showing up with some food and notifying guests. Making a film involves a crew, so Agnes brought them, and filmed the spontaneous creations and utterances of Uncle Yanco.... through a dozen takes if necessary. Spontaneity requires much preparation.

One particularly notable point of this film for me is the colors: the bright, translucent colors that recall to me the hippy culture as I knew it, in New York City's Fillmore East, and on a couple of trips to San Francisco a couple of years after this film was made. This movie captures that light perfectly.

A gentle tribute to an older relative of Agnès Varda, a man she'd never met who in 1967 was living on a makeshift houseboat among other artists and hippies in Sausalito. There are little flashes of Varda's beautiful touch, such as that transparent red heart, but overall this one didn't dazzle me as so much of her other work does. Uncle Yanco comments on the peace movement, the family tree, how he perceives art, the need to connect to nature via sailing, and how "hell is doing what you don't want to," the latter after getting up from a nap. It's pretty fascinating to see the colors in his artwork and relate them to the Director's use of color in her films, and it's clear they are kindred spirits. Perhaps his lament that "there is a tragic difference between what you imagine and what you paint" is universal to all artists as well. It's inoffensive in its 18 minute run time, but not all that stirring, despite what I assume had great personal meaning to Varda.

Euro doc filmmaker Agnès Varda visits a relative she knows little about. It's Jean Varda aka Uncle Yanco. He's a Greek immigrant living in America for the last 27 years. He's a bohemian artist living on a houseboat in San Francisco. He talks about history, family, friends, and his art.

I love all the houseboats and him talking about his neighbors in the opening. I guess his art is interesting in an outsider way. I still love his painted sailboat more than any of his paintings. It's an interesting look at the outsider lifestyle from a true outsider. I would like insight into his hanger-on friends. It needs scenes with them having a cook-out, a smoke-out, and a love-in. It does have Uncle Yanco interrupting that couple making out. I also want a visit with the houseboat neighbor with all the animals or that really cool looking houseboat. This is a nice little weekend visit.

In 1967, Agnes Varda visits a distant cousin in Sausalito. He pontificates, displays his collages, and discusses genealogy for anyone interested. Harmless.

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.