Yoyo (1965)

 Pierre Etaix's "Yoyo"


I am not familiar with the works of France's Pierre Etaix and his 1965 film "Yoyo" is my first time visiting his filmography. He seems to carry the spirit of the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and other vaudeville-esque cinematic acts. "Yoyo" uses this vaudeville spirit to striking effects and the 'callback' to that style fits very neatly in the thematic point Etaix seems to be making with the film.

 The film opens as a silent picture taking place in the 1920s. An unnamed millionaire living in a chateau feels unhappy with his pampered life. After the stock market crash of '29, he leaves to become a circus performer with his former lover and their young son. The young son, after becoming trained as clown all his life, grows up to be Yoyo, the clown. After having experienced World War II, he rises to become a successful actor and uses his new wealth to buy back his father's old chateau.

One of the things that really stuck me about the film was just how poignant and underlyingly emotional it is. Of course, the film is a comedy, which is always front and center. However, seeing the life of a man from being a child in the 1920s and now a fully realized person in the 1960s can be a bit of an existential experience. This is especially true given some of the underlying thematic elements at play. There is a nostalgic longing for a world now gone, a feeling of disconnect from loved ones, and an socio-economic study at play.



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