L'Atalante

Hailed by Sight & Sound as one of the 10 best films of all time in a 1962 survey, Jean Vigo's classic tells the story of a pair of lovers--river captain Jean (Jean Daste) and his newlywed bride Juliette (Dita Parlo)--who travel on the barge "L'Atalante" from the countryside to the bright lights of the big city: gay Paree. Once there, the couple visit a cabaret where a peddler flirts with Juliette until an angry Jean drags her back to the barge; upset by her lost chance to see Paris, Juliette sneaks out that evening, and Jean--discovering her absence--fires up the ship and leaves. The separation wears on both Jean and Juliette, and director Vigo overlays a series of daring (for its time) scenes in which each of the lovers is seen unable to sleep, consumed by unrequited passion. Nearly 10 minutes of lost footage have been restored, including an outrageous comic scene in which the barge's mate Pere Jules (Michel Simon) unhooks his overalls to show the young missus his impressive tattoo collection (including a face around his bellybutton into which he inserts a smoking cigarette). A beautiful, naturalistic ode to love, L'Atalante remains one of the great cinematic achievements of all time. Restored in 2001 and digitally remastered for this DVD debut, the film has a bit of grain and wear--as do most movies (not to mention people) born in 1934, but often looks absolutely luminous. In addition, the disc includes a 21-minute retrospective featurette with film scholars Annette Insdorf and Bernard Eisenschitz. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Pitman)