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© DR - L'ATALANTE de Jean Vigo (1934) p11
25/11/2012 04:12
Différents titres, différents montages, différentes versions (6)
Cette copie a été découverte grâce à un indice donné par P.E. Sales Gomes dans son ouvrage Jean Vigo aux éditions Ramsay Poche Cinéma : « Il ne nous a pas été donné de suivre le travail d'exécution technique de la nouvelle version réalisée par les soins de la Cinémathèque française, mais en voyant le résultat final, on constate qu'il ne manque pas d'intérêt.Toutefois, quand on a déclaré à la presse parisienne, à l'occasion du Festival d'Antibes en 1950, ou au congrès de la fédération internationale des archives du film, à Cambridge en 1951, que la version originale de L’Atalante avait été reconstituée, il s'agissait comme à Bruxelles en 1934, d'une exagération.
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One of the greatest of all films
Pauline Kael told us that "L'Atalante" was one of those films that are more pleasurable in the memory than while seeing it. Maybe so, but not for me. I knew I was witnessing a masterpiece after the first thirty seconds.There was not a false step in the whole thing, and many wonderful surprises. There's a brief flash of strange eroticism when Dita Parlo sticks out her tongue at Michel Simon, the old seaman who runs the boat (and I can't even remember why she did it). There's some comedy, with an astoundingly nimble Vaudeville-like cafe performer/one-man-band who serenades Parlo, to her husband's dismay.
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There's aching heartbreak, with the separated lovers who long for each other so much that it wakes them up in the night and hear each other's yearning. And after all those things, the sensuality, the humor, and the tragedy, the movie just dreams on by as smooth and as fragile as a film can be. I fell in love with it the same way I did with "The Third Man"--the heedless, foolish romanticism just got to me in the end.
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© DR - L'ATALANTE de Jean Vigo (1934) p12
25/11/2012 04:21
Différents titres, différents montages, différentes versions (7)
En tous cas, bien qu'une reconstitution de la version originale soit désormais difficile, un progrès a été réalisé et d'autres sont toujours possibles. Déjà, le fait qu'il existait à Londres dès 1934, une copie du film conservant le titre original, remplit d'espoir les admirateurs de Jean Vigo.L'œuvre de Vigo arriva en Angleterre dès 1934, avec la projection à peu près simultanée, à Londres — en automne de cette année — de L’Atalante dans un cinéma commercial et de Zéro de conduite dans un ciné-club. (...)Il n'y est pas question du Chaland qui passe, mais bien de L’Atalante comme titre. Peut-être Gaumont, doutant des charmes de la chanson de Bixio sur le public anglais, avait-il décidé de lui envoyer la version du Palais Rochechouart » ?
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© DR - L'ATALANTE de Jean Vigo (1934) p13
25/11/2012 04:25
Différents titres, différents montages, différentes versions (8)
À la fin de la première projection cannoise, Freddy Buache, qui avait refusé d'aider les restaurateurs car il n'avait pas été associé directement à l'opération, criait tout fort : « C'est une bonne copie de L’Atalante, mais ce n'est pas la meilleure… ».
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Simply Perfect
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Author: Ben_Cheshire from Oz
17 March 2004
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Finally saw Vigo's L'Atalante, his only feature film, which he reportedly died before completing, and instantly its one of my top favourite movies and easily one of the best pictures ever made. L'Atalante has everything going for it: its sexy,romantic and incredibly funny.Its also immensely genuine-the performances are so good, you are completely drawn into the action.
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Which is not to say that L'Atalante isn't imbued with the sense of fun and visual fantasy which makes Vigo's Zero de Conduite so great in fact its much more developed here Vigo gets to tell a complete story in L'Atalante the only complete story he ever told and it is wonderful.Aside from its great story and vivid, unique characters, the most remarkable thing about L'Atalante is the masterful way it is directed. Vigo had such an eye for what was cinematic - so much of his stuff is communicated through images, yet when he uses words he uses them well (and for comic purposes here). L'Atalante is simply a beautiful film to look at. It has so many beautifully filmed sequences and images (some favourites: the grammophone music scene, the street seller's scene, the swimming underwater scene, the drunk scene).
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Surely one of the best shot films ever. Watch where Vigo places his camera, and the multitude of exciting compositions here. L'Atalante is a movie buff's dream come true. I'm so glad i found it, and am eternally grateful to the art gallery for giving me the opportunity to see it. The audience i saw it with had a rollicking good time -we enjoyed it immensely.If you ever see it playing at a revival house,or at an art gallery,i thoroughly recommend you go there and discover Jean Vigo.A perfect 10/10 - the only one i've ever given.
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© DR - L'ATALANTE de Jean Vigo (1934) p14
25/11/2012 04:30
Différents titres, différents montages, différentes versions (10)
Finalement, en 2001, Bernard Eisenschitz, historien du cinéma, restaura L’Atalante, de façon plus rigoureuse, sur base de la copie retrouvée à Londres. Le but étant de revenir au montage original approuvé, de son lit, par Vigo.Eisenschitz a réalisé un film comparatif, entre les différentes versions et rushes conservés, intitulé Les Voyages de L’Atalante.
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'L'Atalante' is one of the pioneering gems of cinema.
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Author: TC Candler from Minneapolis, USA
5 January 2004
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'L'Atalante' is such a lovely film from director, Jean Vigo, a man whose career would have been marvelous to behold had he not died so young. This was his last film and there are stories that he directed many of the scenes while deathly ill. This movie is a genuine masterpiece and is a must-see for anyone who truly loves the art of film. 'L'Atalante' is one of the pioneering gems of cinema.It is a simple story about the first few days of marriage aboard a barge traveling the canals of France. Dita Parlo plays Juliette, a haunting beauty and a dreamer who longs for adventure and excitement.
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Her husband, Jean, is a realist who doesn't mind the rugged life aboard his ship. She tries to domesticate her husband, showing him the wonders of laundry and neatness. He is so used to the bachelor life that he doesn't even see the need to change the sheets when one of the many cats on board has kittens in their bed.Juliette struggles with her new life and longs to visit Paris so she can explore and shop and dance and eat. She wants a more elegant and romantic life. Barge life gets more complicated due to the oafish first mate, Jules, who lurches around in a perpetual stupor and acts obnoxiously at the drop of a hat, all the while being rather charming and interesting.
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When the barge finally reaches Paris, the couple plans a trip to shore. But the plan gets waylaid by Jules who isn't around to guard the boat during their absence. After a confrontation, Juliette leaves to explore her Parisian dream without Jean. And when Jules finally returns, Jean decides to abandon his wife and sets a course down the river.A plot summary doesn't really do the film justice. Vigo employs gorgeously original camera angles and a poetic method of storytelling that makes this film impossible to forget. It has racy and subtle humor. It deals with sexuality unlike any other film of the era. It has a fantasy sequence whose power has rarely been rivaled, even in today's special effects bonanza.
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'L'Atalante' is way ahead of its time. Watching this film is like peering through a time portal to the beginning of modern filmmaking. 'Citizen Kane' is often cited as the most influential film ever made... but 'L'Atalante' was 'Citizen Kane' before 'Citizen Kane'. It is no wonder that it still appears on many lists of the greatest of all time.I find it amazing that the film, shot 70 years ago, in soft light and occasionally blurred focus, still manages to evoke truly powerful emotions and tangible sensations.
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Vigo's shots are cold, foggy, cramped, dirty, awkward and hard. But he slips a few truly sublime poetic moments in there to lift our hearts. When Jean regrets his decision to abandon Juliette he jumps into the river. The underwater sequence is an ethereal and magical moment in cinema. Their resulting journeys back to one another is romantic and altogether truthful. The film encapsulates the awkward and difficult early days of marriage and the journey to the days beyond, where 'real' love starts to grow.
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© DR - L'ATALANTE de Jean Vigo (1934) p15
25/11/2012 04:37
Autour du film
C'est le seul long-métrage réalisé par Jean Vigo. Il mourut une semaine après que le film fut retiré de l'affiche.
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One of the Greats of Cinema! A Poetic Masterpiece!
Author: antonio-21 from New York City
23 June 2000
The beauty of this film is undeniable, unfortunately, it was butchered upon release, harming it's initial critical and audience reception. Thankfully! Today, we can glory in the masterful restoration of this true cinema classic. If you know anything about Jean Vigo and his work, you are familiar with his place in cinema history. He is the true "enfant" genius of film.
Zero pour Conduite and L'Atalante are two films which routinely appear on those annoying "Ten Best Films of All Time" lists. Lists which normally seek to squeeze in as many films as possible into 10 slots. (Those Sight & Sound people don't seem to be able to understand what 10 means!) Anyway, if you are a REAL Movie Lover (not somebody who ranks Tarantino or The Sixth Sense as masterpieces, get real) you will come to the films of Jean Vigo at some point in your moviegoing experiences.
Be prepared for poetic visuals which manage to combine the grittiness and mundane of everyday life with flourishes of surreal moments and true romantic splendor which captivate the heart of the movie lover.This film should not be overly analyzed. Just sit back and enjoy the beauty of this mood piece. Vigo was a genius who could make a filthy barge look like the most beautiful object in movie history!
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All of the traditional elements are there. The acting and design are perfect without being showy. The cinematography can FINALLY be enjoyed due to the terrific restoration process! WHY ISN'T THIS FILM ON DVD????(because pas assez commercial mon p'tit pote)But the magic of this film is due only to the indefinable genius that was Jean Vigo. If you truly love movies, you must watch this gem. (but please try your best to see the restored version, it will captivate you!)
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