Complete Vigo: A Centennial Celebration

“What was Vigo’s secret?” asked François Truffaut, one of several filmmakers who have greatly admired French film artist Jean Vigo (1905-1934), who would have been 100 this year. Vigo died at the age of 29, leaving only a handful of works that can be screened together in less than three hours, and yet his poetic approach to film remains fresh, adventurous and surprising today. Introduced by Richard Peterson, the Rafael’s Director of Programming, this program provides a rare opportunity to see Jean Vigo’s four films in one sitting, from his early avant-garde shorts to the classic feature L’Atalante.

Vigo’s first film, A propos de Nice (1929), was a “surrealist” documentary satirizing the gulf between rich and poor in the French resort city, and Taris (1931) was a whimsical portrait of a champion swimmer. Zero for Conduct (1933) was his celebrated comedy-drama of an uprising in a repressive boys school; it was a big influence on both Truffaut (The 400 Blows) and Lindsay Anderson (If). Vigo died while finishing L’Atalante (1934), his last film and one of the most beautiful movies ever made. (Re-edited by the distributor on its initial release, it has since been restored.) The title refers to the name of the humble barge on which a young skipper (Jean Dasté) takes his new bride Juliette (Dita Parlo) to live. It is a story of love and longing, an ode to romance and physical passion, that is both natural and magical. Supported by Michel Simon’s eccentric, scene-stealing performance as the grizzled barge mate, this masterpiece is haunting and unforgettable. Films in French with English subtltles. Total program approx. 160 min.