the dogs of my uncle

The wonderful French filmmaker and actor Jacques Tati, in his film Mon Oncle (My Uncle), gives us a look at an older, sweeter Paris, compared to a newer, shinier and commercially driven one. One of the small thematic markers of the older -- and much homier -- society is the appearance of a pack of street dogs, joined whenever possible by the main character's own dachshund in a little plaid coat. They open the movie, pop into a factory in the middle, and close the movie.

Tati, who also played the main character M. Hulot, had to acquire dogs for these scenes. When the movie was over, the dogs had to go. Unwilling to see them go to the pound and certain doom, he had an idea.

Tati took out an ad in the paper, offering folks the chance to adopt what he called "movie stars". Every dog was taken. It's said this story gives a good glimpse into the character of Jacques Tati.