In a young British boy’s innocent little world, life becomes an adventure and a challenge to overcome when another boy of his age visits for the summer. This is the story of young Gus and the visitor Tom, both seven-year-old, yet Gus being Tom’s uncle in Desmond Davis’ The Uncle (1966).
Based on Margaret Abrams’ 1962 novel of the same name, The Uncle follows the adventures of the eponymous Uncle Gus Morton (Robert Duncan) with his nephew Tom (Christopher Ariss) and other kids in the neighborhood while awkwardly conscious of the fact that Tom is his nephew. Before long, the kids start calling Gus an uncle, making him self-conscious and curious to make sense of it.
Desmond Davis has masterfully captured the essence of growing up in a socially awkward situation. In developmental psychology, this would pass as an enactment of expanding one’s consciousness against social boundaries that a growing child’s mind is able to perceive and accommodate.
Elements of an epic hero’s journey are prominent in The Uncle. The battle scene between the Uncle’s and Nephew’s armies at about midway in the movie is as amusing as it is symbolic – Gus on his way to early manhood as he leads his army. Later, Tom will take him to his father’s farm to witness the life with cattle and get his shock moment on seeing the cattle being neutered. Tom becomes the perfect foil for Gus to start growing up and get ready for the tough side of life.
The Uncle is a gem by all means. It’s a child’s adventure, coming of age, and drama; and it’s epic. Gus is an uncle and through his eyes, we see both the tough and frail sides of life.
