Jean Vigo, L'Atalante and the Avant-Garde.
Tim Calcutt
Jean Vigo, L'Atalante and the Avant-Garde
If the work of Jean Vigo had to be categorized into a particular aesthetic movement, it would be that of Surrealism. P.E. Salles Gomes wrote, "I would not be surprised at all to find the combined influence of Junghans and Bunuel among the sources from which Vigo's own personal style grew"¹. French Surrealists such as poet André Breton and writer Paul Éluard often incorporated dreamlike imagery and themes of the unreal into their work. This is the chief component of the Surrealist movement and in my essay I shall demonstrate how much Vigo encompasses this element in his film L'Atalante (France, 1934).
The editing Vigo uses in L'Atalante contain jump cuts and a non-continuous style, adding to the films illusory sense. Towards the climax of the scene in Pere Jules' cabin, a small series of sharp cuts leads up to Jeans sudden presence in the room. This editing strategy does not detract from the films fluidity, however, as the frequent employment of fade to black highlights its dreamlike quality. This quality is symbolised by the flowing, peaceful barge, further epitomized by the films final shot - a bird's eye view of the boat drifting along the calm water.
Through crosscutting, Vigo crafts two scenes of intense significance. When Juliette discovers Paris, the camera alternates between her and the empty bed back on the barge. The bed is a motif for Jean and Juliette's love and the way they feel is determined by what is happening in the bed. Here, an emptiness is beginning to form as the lovers soon realise that they will be apart from one another. In the second crosscutting sequence, this notion is depicted more clearly. The couple are in their separate beds - in Paris and on The Atalante - gradually achieving a sexual bond. This illustrates their need to love each other and be together. Vigo uses a romantic, mystical theme again later on in the film when Juliette tells Jean that you can see your true love underwater. After Juliette has left for Paris, Jean dives into the river and witnesses Juliette in her wedding dress. Historian Ivana Redwine calls this "the most romantic [image] in all of cinema"².
The camera positioning also conveys significance, shown in the film through its application of innovative camera angles. There are countless high angle shots in the main cabin of the barge, suggestive of the hierarchy of power and authority held in both the marriage and the running of the barge. These shots exist with Jean and Juliette when decisions are being made and arguments occur or when orders are being issued to Pere Jules and the cabin boy. In both cases it appears that Jean is at the top of the hierarchy. Moreover, there are several instances where a character has moved towards the camera and seem to travel through it as if it was not there. As the characters move closer, the shot becomes blurred, giving the sequence a lethargic feel. This further accentuates Vigo's Surrealist tendencies.
Paris acts as a symbol for two valuable themes throughout the film. The theme of temptation is established by Juliette's restlessness on The Atalante, craving some excitement. The radio informs her of the glamour of Paris which the shop windows in the city itself reinforce. From then on, Juliette constantly fantasises about Paris until she eventually builds herself up to going. Additionally, Paris amplifies the theme of illusion versus reality. Following the initial allure, the city is shown to be lonely and corrupt. This is exemplified through cantered framing on the bag thief and the ugliness of the old man who attempts to lure Juliette. Both of these cases underline the crookedness of Paris. It seems apt that she resides in an establishment known as 'Hotel de L'ancre' (with an anchor emblem hanging outside) as it symbolises her loneliness within the city and yearning for her life onboard The Atalante.
In the wedding scene, at the films start, the atmosphere resembles that of a funeral. There is black costume, slow paced editing, little dialogue and a number of melancholy faces. As the barge departs the village, it passes an elderly lady who marks out a symbolic cross on her chest. One guest comments that Juliette "has never left the village before" which strengthens the concept that something in the village or something in Juliette has now died.
L'Atalante "is not about what lovers do, but how they feel - how tender they are, how sensitive and foolish"³. ...
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In the wedding scene, at the films start, the atmosphere resembles that of a funeral. There is black costume, slow paced editing, little dialogue and a number of melancholy faces. As the barge departs the village, it passes an elderly lady who marks out a symbolic cross on her chest. One guest comments that Juliette "has never left the village before" which strengthens the concept that something in the village or something in Juliette has now died.
L'Atalante "is not about what lovers do, but how they feel - how tender they are, how sensitive and foolish"³. At first, Juliette enjoys the idea of living on a barge; "she always had to be different". However, she soon becomes bored and Jean soon begins to take her for granted. When Juliette is in Paris, there a number of images that epitomise the couple's true feelings for one another. For example, the audience witness Juliette pining into a record player, listening to old barge songs. The most passionate of these scenes are from Jean. He embraces a lump of ice as if it was Juliette and then later runs out to sea in Le Havre in a final attempt to rejoin Juliette. Both of these examples are related to water - another key theme in L'Atalante. The couple's life together is spent on water and they have also both seen an image of each other underwater. This affinity that their relationship has with water is a probable explanation as to why Jean sought comfort the way he did.
The characters in L'Atalante regularly emit signals to indicate how they feel. A lack of dialogue from a character insinuates that they are lonely or desire something. This is exemplified during a chess-playing scene after Juliette has left. Pere Jules ultimately plays Jeans pieces as well as his own after Jeans entire system of communication seems to have malfunctioned. Another signal is when a character plays music. The character aspires to impress or make a comfortable ambience. This occurs when the small crew of The Atalante welcome Juliette on board with song about barge life. Pere Jules is commonly the character that initiates these musical interludes such as when he endeavours to enliven the forlorn Jean with his self-made gramophone. Pere Jules also owns a model of a musical conductor, which is significant of his association with music. When Pere Jules stands behind the model as it begins to move, he becomes a representation of the conductor. Therefore, similarly to the music, Pere Jules functions to comfort others; his character operating as a remedy to the problems that develop on the barge. He physically demonstrates this when he retrieves Juliette and brings her back to Jean at the end of the film. Conversely, Pere Jules also acts as a cause for these problems. When he visits the fortuneteller, he confines Jean and Juliette to the barge when they had planned to have a night out. Vigo is articulating his view that every character has two sides.
Many of L'Atalante's other key themes are also exhibited through Pere Jules. The scene where he wrestles with himself highlights the theme of loneliness - unlike Jean and Juliette; he has nobody else to wrestle with. The cinematography produces two Pere Jules', which is symbolic of the differing sides to his character. The unreal property of this sequence reveals another example of Surrealism in the film. Also, this scene portrays his longing to prove himself - one of Pere Jules' chief characteristics.
Within Pere Jules' cabin, there are numerous motifs, collectively emphasizing his reluctance to accept that his youth is gone. He has pictures of naked women in his room, which represent his temptations, and sexual lusting, supported in the fortune-telling scene when his lust is satisfied. The photograph and preserved hand of his friend also signify the life that Pere Jules once had. He believes that "all that is left of him [his friend]" is really all that is left of his own youth. Therefore by possessing it, Pere Jules is convinced that he will, himself, be young.
Several of Pere Jules' belongings are stolen items, introducing the theme of theft. The gramophone speaker, for example, was taken from a Parisian pub. This theme is also existent during the wedding scene where the villagers act as if Juliette is being taken from them. Shortly afterwards, the song that the crew welcome Juliette aboard with fortifies this as it includes the line "...the bargees steal them away".
The large number of cats on The Atalante also belong to Pere Jules. They are a substitute for the family he will never have. When 'Darling' gives birth to a litter, he tends to the offspring as if they were his own. His commitment to journeying across the globe has failed to see him settle down. Darling is, therefore, an alternative for the partner he will never have.
Another example of Vigo's work that bears Surrealist qualities is Zéro de Conduite (France, 1933). The films merging of the objective with the subjective is a vital Surrealist attribute. This is achieved via the visual effects, which allows the imagery to be more indispensable than the narrative. This is typified during the pillow fight scene where slow motion assists in developing a snowy, fantasy-like milieu. Similarly to L'Atalante, Vigo uses an abundance of innovative camera angles and tricks in Zéro de Conduite. He also portrays the anarchic nature of the Avant-garde through his rebellious students who are constantly breaking the rules. In addition to being inspired by an Avant-garde movement, Vigo was looked upon as a fundamental influence of the French New Wave - another major aesthetic movement (1959 to 1964).
François Truffaut was the most notable admirer of Vigo's work as he discussed in the introduction to The Complete Jean Vigo. Les Quatre cent coups (dir: Truffaut, France, 1959), for example, expresses predominant influence from Zéro de Conduite with its themes of child entrapment and discipline. Jules et Jim (dir: Truffaut, France, 1961) also contains elements that can be located in Vigo's work. For instance, Truffaut's film presents marginalized characters with no family ties - traits that Jean, Juliette and Pere Jules all possess. Furthermore, the peddler character in L'Atalante epitomises the anarchic spontaneity that the French New Wave retained. His rebellious behaviour holds a similarity with that of Michel from A bout de Souffle (dir: Jean-Luc Godard, France, 1959). Additionally, the ending to A bout de Souffle (the audience is unaware as to what happens to Patricia now that Michel is dead) is left open in the same way that L'Atalante is. Despite being back together, the audience is still left speculating the future of Jean and Juliette, aided by a sudden cut to the barge peacefully floating along.
Other characteristics from L'Atalante that can be identified in the films of the 'Nouvelle Vague' are its preference for natural light and setting. The films exterior barge scenes display the use of natural light and the riverbanks and barge ports stress the importance of natural setting. Another common link was sudden shifts in tone. L'Atalante demonstrates this when an irritable Pere Jules arrives late for dinner and within minutes is modelling a skirt for Juliette.
After exploring Vigo's work, I believe his main influences to be that of Surrealism and that is the chief characteristic of his films. This is evident through his themes of fantasy and entrapment. Furthermore, his editing techniques facilitate in generating a dream-like mood, which is paramount to Surrealism. However, L'Atalante also exhibits alternative artistic tendencies, verifying that it is not an entirely Surrealist work. Such tendencies include the themes of love and relationships and even hints of Constructivism such as when the audience view Juliette manufacture her skirt. Lastly, through his utilization of theme and stylistic techniques, I deem it imperative to note that Jean Vigo served to influence many filmmakers of the monumental Nouvelle Vague and, whilst only living to the age of 29, has become known as one of the greatest directors in French cinema history.
Word count - 1,993
End Notes
¹ Taken from pg. 238 of Jean Vigo, Salles Gomes, P.E., Secker and Warburg (1972).
² Taken from the DVD review of L'Atalante by Redwine, I., from
www.homevideo.about.com
³ Taken from the review of L'Atalante by Ebert, R., from www.suntimes.com
Filmography
L'Atalante (dir: Jean Vigo, France, 1934)
Zéro de Conduite (dir: Jean Vigo, France, 1933)
Les Quatre cent coups (dir: François Truffaut, France, 1959)
Jules et Jim (dir: François Truffaut, France, 1961)
A bout de Souffle (dir: Jean-Luc Godard, France, 1959)
Bibliography
Film Art: An Introduction, Bordwell, D. and Thompson, K., McGraw-Hill (2001).
Jean Vigo, Salles Gomes, P.E., Secker and Warburg (1972).
The Complete Jean Vigo, Ed: Sinclair, A., Lorrimer (1983).
L'Atalante by Ebert, R., from www.suntimes.com
L'Atalante by Redwine, I., from www.homevideo.about.com
Zero for Conduct from www.geocities.com/Hollywood
. Shot by shot breakdown of the wedding scene in L'Atalante (approx. 0:02:08)
Shot 1: Long shot of Jean and Juliette walking out of the church as man and wife, followed by the guests. The entire procession walks towards and then past the camera. The camera pans them walking past for 4 seconds. Straight on angle, camera to the left and then to the right as they move past.
Dialogue: Wedding guest - "Don't worry my dear, she's married a good lad. She'll
be back to see you"
Mother - "She's never even left the village before"
Shot duration - 39 seconds. Cut to...
Shot 2: Medium shot of the guests walking past the camera. Straight on angle, camera to the right. No camera movement.
Dialogue: Wedding guest 1 - "Pity there's no reception, I love a good feast"
Wedding guest 2 - "Do we accompany them to the barge?"
Wedding guest 3 - "All that way for a stranger?"
Shot duration - 10 seconds. Cut to...
Shot 3: Medium long shot of Pere Jules and the cabin boy running away from the camera and up a hill to the barge. Straight on angle, camera is directly behind them. Camera pans to the left and then upward very slightly.
Dialogue: Pere Jules - "What do you say to the bride? What did I tell you?"
Shot duration - 7 seconds. Cut to...
Shot 4: Medium shot of the guests walking past the camera (as in shot 2). Straight on angle, camera to the right. No camera movement.
Dialogue: Wedding guest 1 - "It seems the boat's late"
Wedding guest 2 - "And he'll be in trouble for getting married"
Wedding guest 3 - "Keep in line. Two by two"
Wedding guest 4 - "Couldn't she marry a local boy?"
Wedding guest 5 - "She always had to be different"
Wedding guest 6 - "Couldn't wait to get away"
Wedding guest 3 - "They're getting ahead"
Shot duration - 24 seconds. Cut to...
Shot 5: Long shot of Jean and Juliette walking away from the camera, down the street. Straight on, but slightly low angled. Camera to the right, no camera movement.
Shot duration - 3 seconds. Cut to...
Shot 6: Long shot of Pere Jules and the cabin boy running across a field, hurrying to beat the couple back to the barge. High angled shot. Camera to the right, no camera movement.
Shot duration - 3 seconds. Cut to...
Shot 7: Long shot of Jean and Juliette walking along the street, towards the camera (opposite to shot 5). Straight on angle, camera to the left. As they walk towards and then past the camera (into medium shot), they are panned for 18 seconds. There is no camera movement after this whilst the guests enter the left of the screen. Camera is now to the right.
Shot duration - 35 seconds. Cut to...
Shot 8: Extreme long shot of Jean and Juliette walking behind some hut-like houses. Straight on angle, camera to the left. No camera movement.
Shot duration - 7 seconds.
Shot 9: Medium shot of Jean and Juliette walking through very long grass towards the camera. Straight on angle, camera to the right. No camera movement.
Shot duration - 3 seconds.
Shot 10: Long shot of Jean and Juliette walking down a hill towards the camera into close up. Low angled shot. Camera to the right, no camera movement.
Shot duration - 8 seconds.
Shot 11: Pere Jules and the cabin boy enter the frame, from the left, into a medium shot onboard the barge. They are preparing to welcome the new bride to the Atalante. Straight on angle, camera is directly in front of them. No camera movement. Shot ends with the cabin boy jumping out of shot in the bottom right of the frame.
Dialogue: Pere Jules - "You know what to do?"
Cabin boy - "Yes"
Pere Jules - "Don't just say yes, what is it you do?"
Cabin boy - "I go to the skipper's mate and say 'Welcome to happy days
aboard the Atalante'"
Pere Jules - "Right. And the flowers?"
Cabin boy - "In the bucket"
Cut.
Total running time - 2 minutes, 46 seconds.
2. Shot by shot breakdown of the Cross-cutting sex scene in L'Atalante (approx. 1:13:42)
Shot 1: Medium shot of Jean in bed on The Atalante, undressing himself and then lying down. Straight on angle, camera to the right. No camera movement.
Shot duration - 5 seconds. Cut to...
Shot 2: Medium shot of Juliette sitting on her bed in Paris peeling off her stockings and then getting into bed. Straight on angle, camera to the left. As she gets into bed, the camera tracks forward for 7 seconds and then tilts down to face her.
Shot duration - 16 seconds. Dissolve to...
Shot 3: Close up of Jean in bed beginning to caress himself. High angled shot, camera is directly above him. No camera movement.
Shot duration - 6 seconds. Dissolve to...
Shot 4: Close up of Juliette in bed, beginning to wake. High angled shot, camera is directly above her. No camera movement.
Shot duration - 7 seconds. Dissolve to...
Shot 5: Close up of Jean moving about in bed, caressing his chest. Straight on angle, camera is to the left. No camera movement.
Shot duration - 9 seconds. Dissolve to...
Shot 6: Close up of Juliette slowly moving, caressing her chest. Straight on angle, camera is to the left. No camera movement.
Shot duration - 8 seconds. Dissolve to...
Shot 7: Close up of Jean, in a press-up position, looking up and down as if he were hovering over and staring at Juliette's body. Low angled shot, camera slightly beneath him. No camera movement.
Shot duration - 6 seconds. Dissolve to...
Shot 8: Close up of Juliette relaxing back down on her pillow as if Jean had just been on top of her. High angled shot, the camera is directly above her (similar camera positioning to shot 4, however this time, it is filming from the opposite side of the bed - Juliette appears upside down in this shot).No camera movement.
Shot duration - 7 Seconds. Dissolve to...
Shot 9: Medium shot of Jean sitting up in bed, book ending the sequence (same shot as shot 1). Straight on angle, camera to the right. No camera movement.
Shot duration - 7 seconds. Cut.
Total running time - 1 minute, 11 seconds.
