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Introduced by
Richard Peterson
Saturday, May 28, 3:00
Sunday, May 29, 3:00
“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.
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