joi, 15 februarie 2018

Mon Oncle d’Amerique aka My American Uncle, by Jean Gruault, Henri Laborit


Mon Oncle d’Amerique aka My American Uncle, by Jean Gruault, Henri Laborit


                My American Uncle is a formidable, jubilant film.

Alain Resnais directed it and in the leading role, we have the majestic Gerard Depardieu, in his glory days.
The plot is in fact a combination of stories, complex, sophisticated and mesmerizing, with psychoanalysis undertones.

To make the connection, perhaps to make the narratives more comprehensible, experiments are weaved in between.
One refers to Learned Pessimism, and rats are given electric shocks in their cage, with the possibility to escape the punishment offered in one instance.

However, when the animal is left with no choice, the door that he could access being closed, the result is disastrous.
They learn to be helpless and the effects on the organism is devastating, with terrible biological consequences.

The same thing happens to humans who see no way out of impossible situations and become pessimistic.
They can no longer face challenges and research has proved that this psychological helplessness leads to an inability to fight viruses, where a normal person can deter such a challenge, the helpless pessimist becomes very sick.

There is an alternative and the founder of Positive Psychology explains what one can do in the book:

Leaned Optimism by Martin Seligman

It is amusing and somewhat disturbing to see the main characters dressed like rats in various scenes.

This is to make the connection between studies of behavior, the answers to provocation in the animal and human world.
When the rats are alone in their cage and they are punished with electric shocks, they become helpless as aforementioned.

However, when another rat is placed in the same environment and electricity is used to shock them, they fight.
Astonishingly, those who have the opportunity to fight with an adversary do not have the same health problems as the lonely animals.

It means that if they have the chance to do something about the pain, they get over and do not get ill, as the helpless rats.
For humans, things are more complicated, the voice in the background of the film explains, because of social norms.

When they go through an important change and they feel punished, they cannot go and beat their opponent.
Although funny versions of various possibilities are offered in wonderful scenes from this masterpiece.

Rene Raguneau aka Gerard Depardieu is one of the protagonists of the film and he faces various provocations that take a toll on his mental and physical health, he has pains and a breakdown.
As the scientist that details the experiments points out, when humans cannot battle with others, they may turn against themselves; perhaps even commit suicide, which one of the characters tries.

Janine is another hero of the motion picture and she first tries to become an actress, then, after an initial success, she becomes the mistress of a very difficult, married man who is a big strain on anyone’s nerves.
That man’s wife waits in the corridor one day, to try to convince the lover to let the husband return home to his wife and children.

Seeing as the first demand has little echo, the wife explains that the man must come to his family.
She says that she has just learned that she is dying, she only has a short time before death and this is the winning argument.

Even if there are tragic events, some of them invented by the characters, this is a superb, jubilant comedy.
The confrontation between Rene and his new challenger is often hilarious, in spite of the fact that we feel sorry for the hero.

My American Uncle is on the list compiled by The New York Times: The New York Times ‘Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made:




Niciun comentariu:

Trimiteți un comentariu