Yoyo

Wow

Wow

A three-part story that sits in the crossing of Fellini, Tati, Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Dali, Laurel & Hardy, and (in the future tense) Monty Python, Wes Anderson and the Zucker Brothers, this is just so dense with sight gags, visual puns, slapstick shenanigans, and general tomfoolery, that it’s hard to blink.

Yes, the first part, shot as a silent film with a lot (a LOT) of sound effects, is where this tight choreography really shines the best, but as the story progresses toward its oddly bittersweet ending, it doesn’t lose a lot of pace.

The concept of the Circus as a grand metaphor for existence was a popular one in film in the 1960s, but Etaix looks right at home in the circus sequences, with the quick-change bam-boom bits landing like they should, and the supporting cast delivers admirably.

It’s a genuine masterpiece, there is a solid heart at its core, and I highly doubt I will ever again see a film delivered with this pace, skill, and, yes, gags upon gags upon gags. Upon gags. Upon gags.

A three-part story that sits in the crossing of Fellini, Tati, Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Dali, Laurel & Hardy, and (in the future tense) Monty Python, Wes Anderson and the Zucker Brothers, this is just so dense with sight gags, visual puns, slapstick shenanigans, and general tomfoolery, that it’s hard to blink.

Yes, the first part, shot as a silent film with a lot (a LOT) of sound effects, is where this tight choreography really shines the best, but as the story progresses toward its oddly bittersweet ending, it doesn’t lose a lot of pace.

The concept of the Circus as a grand metaphor for existence was a popular one in film in the 1960s, but Etaix looks right at home in the circus sequences, with the quick-change bam-boom bits landing like they should, and the supporting cast delivers admirably.

It’s a genuine masterpiece, there is a solid heart at its core, and I highly doubt I will ever again see a film delivered with this pace, skill, and, yes, gags upon gags upon gags. Upon gags. Upon gags.

Another gem from the underrated Pierre Etaix. This one has much better pacing than the other films of his I have seen, even if I prefer many of the individual gags from those other films. I can see why this is his most beloved film, it's got a strong story that never gets in the way of a good gag, of which there are many.

Merry Christmas.

Another gem from the underrated Pierre Etaix. This one has much better pacing than the other films of his I have seen, even if I prefer many of the individual gags from those other films. I can see why this is his most beloved film, it's got a strong story that never gets in the way of a good gag, of which there are many.

Merry Christmas.

Compared to The Suitor, Yoyo doesn’t have the same clever gags and endearing tribute to comedy’s past but there’s enough of it left here to make the film a delight. If The Suitor could most closely be tied to Keaton, Yoyo has dashes of Chaplin’s The Kid and The Circus: the latter for obvious reasons and the former through a core emotional connection to childhood and poverty in the film’s first half. The switching of visual mediums was a great addition and Etaix proves himself a worthy follower of the silent mimery and emotional acting of his influences. It’s baffling that Etaix remains largely unknown by most cinephiles but his filmography has proved an interesting rabbit hole to go through thus far.

Compared to The Suitor, Yoyo doesn’t have the same clever gags and endearing tribute to comedy’s past but there’s enough of it left here to make the film a delight. If The Suitor could most closely be tied to Keaton, Yoyo has dashes of Chaplin’s The Kid and The Circus: the latter for obvious reasons and the former through a core emotional connection to childhood and poverty in the film’s first half. The switching of visual mediums was a great addition and Etaix proves himself a worthy follower of the silent mimery and emotional acting of his influences. It’s baffling that Etaix remains largely unknown by most cinephiles but his filmography has proved an interesting rabbit hole to go through thus far.