L’Atalante
Directed by Jean Vigo
France, 1934
Gaumont-Franco Film-Aubert
Second viewing
Juliette – “Don’t you know? In the water we can see the one we love.”
A young skipper brings his new bride (Dita Parlo) aboard his small barge to live with his eccentric first mate (Michel Simon), a boy, and too many rambunctious cats. We witness the couple’s initial passion, the wife’s boredom, the husband’s jealousy, and then the cycle begins again. The slight plot is told in vivid images that insinuate themselves in the memory. Dita Parlo brings an enchanting sense of wonder to her character. This is a totally original, funny, and erotic story that engaged me throughout. The last of Jean Vigo’s four films before his death at age 29 and a masterpiece.
