Left Field Cinema

Much has been written and spoken about this film in the many decades since Jean Vigo’s short but fruitful career came to an abrupt end. A French director who’s complete cannon of work includes three short films and one feature all made in the 1930’s. Given the quality of this work, had the man lived beyond his twenty-nine years he would have quite possibly delivered a substantial number of films which we would have come to consider classics. The cynic amongst us might argue that Vigo’s status is in fact due to his untimely death not in spite of it, and had tuberculosis not taken him, then he wouldn’t be remembered in such a rose tinted light. For the cynics there is simply one thing left to do – watch L’Atalante. Any debate as to the films value is rendered null and void, whether you enjoy the film or not its qualities are difficult to deny.

The film is a lyrical and romantic story of a pair of young newly weds, Juliette and Jean who immediately after marrying begin to settle into their new life aboard a working boat heading to Paris by the canal. Jean is the skipper, and under him are two deck hands Jules and Le Camelot. All four live together on the relatively small, and claustrophobic boat which is filled with not only themselves but the crews belongings including the vast collection of traveling memorabilia which Jules has acquired from the many nations he has visited. Problems emerge quickly as each of the occupants become irritated with the other, and the heartfelt stability of the newly weds begins to crumble as the couple squabble and bicker over petty issues and a lack of personal space. Juliette soon comes under the spell of a Parisian peddler, who attempts to court her affections, given the difficulties of the marriage his maneuvers are effective and she soon leaves Jean in search of a more exciting and tolerable existence away from the reclusive squallier she’s been calling home.

The story is fairly simple; its execution is where the films reputation stems from. Firstly it is exceptionally honest with its charmingly simple characters. Neither Jean or Juliette are completely to blame for the disintegration of their relationship, and equally neither of them are completely innocent. There is also something tender and natural about Vigo’s direction, even in the films most heightened sections like a brief bar room brawl are played relatively naturalistically for the time. A surprise comes later when the film very briefly and subtly merges realism and surrealism, the beautiful and touching moment is set up by the films romantic notion that you can see the one you love when you put your head in water and open your eyes, Juliette tells Jean that this is how she knew she’d marry him, because she saw him in the water. Later after Juliette has left him Jean in a moment of despair drops himself off the barge and into the murky canal waters below, whilst under he sees the ghostly figure of his estranged wife and decides to resurface. There is something endlessly watchable about L’Atalante, it is riddled with beautifully simple moments which warm the heart, be it Juliette’s amusement at a ghastly puppet Jules has acquired in his travels, or a man pretending that a tattoo of a face his smoking a cigarette, using his navel as a mouth, or just simply the energy with which everyone moves around the boat, or the humour in their superficial conflicts. It also presents the differences between country and city living in a subtle and not manipulative manner as Juliette wanders the metropolitan that are both unfamiliar and frightening to her sheltered existence.

One element which truly distinguishes the film is its edgy photography, years ahead of its time it makes the most of its on location shooting, combining birds eye view photography, simple but natural lighting, skewered angles, and swift movement in places. The films cinematographer was Borris Kaulfman who would later go on to shoot 12 Angry Men and On the Waterfront, Kaulfman shot all four of Vigo’s films and it is some of his greatest work, experimental and daring he helped give Vigo’s films their distinctive look.

The film is flawed by today’s standards, some viewers will find the film dull and possibly too protracted despite it’s eighty-nine minute runtime and for all its magic, some of the films moments do feel a little pointless and empty. The edit could do with a little tightening to retain the earlier momentum. It does of course suffer from technical issues, appalling sound quality and heavy film defects, but L’Atalante has been damaged by more than just time, it was butchered on its release by the films producers, and although a great amount of work has been done to restore it to its original cut, even the versions on sale today are not completely returned to the directors vision. For UK DVD, Artificial eye have a complete works of Jean Vigo, including documentaries on the mans work and the various cuts of this film over the years, their edition of the film even begins with caption stating the films intension to be as close to Vigo’s original but suggests that a complete restoration is no longer possible. The DVD also includes all three of Vigo’s shorts, all of which are essential viewing for lovers of world cinema, or those interested in watching a classic romance with a difference.

L’Atalante is a very strong film, the best work from Jean Vigo, its influence can be seen far and wide, from the film makers involved with the French New Wave to Steven Spielberg who borrowed one of the films gags for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade after the tank rolls over the edge of the cliff and Indie’s father and friends stare at the great drop below in mourning only for Indie to arrive next to them wondering what they’re looking at – this moment is taken straight from L’Atalante. It also frequently tops the list or at least gets into the top ten films of directors and critics across the globe, and over the years its appeal seems to have grown rather than diminish. Very few directors have had such clear impacts on the world of film with so few titles to their name, and for a first and last feature film it is tragically apparent that this was a master at work.

M. Dawson