Something to watch tonight: Wednesday 4 December

50 Greatest Films: L'Atalante (Vigo, 1934)

For new subscribers: I had a project running at RNZ where I was watching and reviewing every film in the Sight & Sound Top 50 films of all time collection. Earlier this year, RNZ decided that the $75 they were paying for each one was too much, so I’ve brought that project back here.

The last one was #35 – Pather Pachali (Satyajit Ray) back on 1 October.

Now we make our way to #34, Jean Vigo’s classic romance L’Atalante from 1934.

Juliette (Dita Parlo) is a small-town girl who wants to see the city. She marries barge captain Jean (Jean Dasté) but they have to share the vessel with the deckhand (Louis Lefebvre) and cat-loving, rummy, first mate Père Jules (Michel Simon) who has a cabin full of mementos of his life traveling the seven seas.

Jean has to deliver his cargo to Paris and Juliette expects a honeymoon. The two things end up happening simultaneously but the delicate balance of the boat is disrupted and Jean’s short fuse is tested by Juliette’s affection for Père Jules and her desire to see the Paris.

When Jean says that they have to return to base instead of spending the night in town, Juliette decides on a unilateral expedition. Jean – pissed off – decides to leave her and cast off.

It’s 1934 so there are no mobile phones, and Jean soon regrets his impulsive choice, but what can he do? Luckily, the previously unreliable Père Jules sees how to keep the family together and goes off to find Jean and reunite them all.

The romance is often fantastical but the Depression context is extraordinary. Inside the barge, the relationships are heightened and theatrical. Simon’s Père Jules is a character that the cinema hadn’t seen before – tattooed, inarticulate, unpredictable – and the hints at sexual desire take a step or two beyond what Hollywood was offering at the time.

Outside, we see the grim reality of the docks, the canals and locks, and Juliette’s romantic idea of Paris is challenged by petty thieves, rough sleepers and street peddlers.

In the 2012 poll L’Atalante was as high as #12 but – despite a beautiful 2017 4K restoration and all the extra attention that entails– it has dropped to #34. It’s hard to see it bouncing back much next time, unfortunately, as it lives on more due to its influence on other films – Last Tango in Paris, Les Amants de Pont-Neuf – than its impact on modern audiences.

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Where to watch L’Atalante