Dita
Parlo, Jean Dasté , Michel Simon , Louis Lefebvre, Gilles Margaritis,
Diligent Raya
The most acclaimed (and
sentimental) film in Jean Vigo's short career. L'Atalante is the
name of the barge owned by Jean (Jean Daste), who marries the lovely
Juliette (Dita Parlo) at the film's beginning. Juliette comes to
live aboard the barge, for Jean makes his living on the Seine. The
arrival of a woman on board disrupts the small crew, but they do
their best to make her welcome. The solitude and boredom soon take
their toll on Juliette, so Jean brings her ashore for a night at
a cafe in Paris. He becomes jealous of a flirtation between Juliette
and a peddler, and when she leaves the ship again later, Jean casts
off from the port. This dark love story is also peppered with hallucinations
and unusual camerawork. A restored version was made available in
1990. |