L’Atalante ***** (1934, Dita Parlo, Jean Dasté, Michel Simon, Gilles Margaritis, Louis Lefebvre) – Classic Movie Review 8656

Director Jean Vigo’s 1934 French classic L’Atalante was cut about by its original distributor Gaumont, but the 1991 restored reissue version confirms its reputation as an enchanting romantic, surrealist, poetic cinema milestone, balancing the realism of work against the abstract beauty of the landscape.

Michel Simon in superb as the strange but wise old boat-hand, ship second mate Le Père Jules (old Jules), in this tale of young newlyweds Jean and Juliette (Jean Dasté and Dita Parlo) who sail along the River Seine to Paris with him and a cabin boy (Louis Lefebvre) on the dingy river barge that Jean captains. When they get to Paris, Juliette disappears to catch the nightlife, greatly upsetting Jean.

It is hardly a tale at all, more of just a situation. People looking for a story will probably be very disappointed. But audiences for hauntingly beautiful art movies will be richly rewarded.

The film was shot in the freezing winter, and it helped to kill the consumptive Vigo, who died of TB aged only 29 in 1934, before his only feature film was screened.

It runs 89 minutes with the cut version at 82 minutes.

Also in the cast are Gilles Margaritis, Louis Lefebvre, Raphaël Diligent and Maurice Gilles.

Ironically, the same company that hacked it about in 1934 are now responsible for restoring it. Gaumont’s restored 2001 version in 35mm is re-cut with the help of film critic and programmer Luce Vigo (Vigo’s daughter) and film historian Bernard Eisenschitz as editing consultants. It is based on the 1991 version, with a couple of images altered or removed, plus small changes to the soundtrack.

L’Atalante is directed by Jean Vigo, runs 89 minutes, made by Nounez, Argui-Film and Gaumont-Franco Film-Aubert (G.F.F.A), released by Gaumont, written by Jean Guinée (scenario), Jean Vigo (adaptation and dialogue), Albert Riéra (adaptation and dialogue), shot in black and white by Boris Kaufman and Louis Berger, and scored by Maurice Jaubert, with Art Direction by Francis Jourdain.

The 1991 restored version was released by Artificial Eye in the UK.

It is released in the UK on DVD by the British Film Institute (BFI) (2012).

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8656

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com