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.