Rating: 
Summary: Vigo's Straightjacket
Review: It seems to me intolerable that such an ancient film such as L'Atalante (misspelled on the video case as "L'Atlante") should even be released without the slightest attempt at a more meticulous restoration, given that it happens to be Jean Vigo's only feature-length film. Elie Faure praised it, but it was received so poorly by French audiences that it was severely cut. Boris Kaufman's splendid cinematography was quite accomplished for its time. "For its time," I'm afraid is an appellation that might scare less imaginative viewers away. How about "For All Time?" James Agee thought the film showed the ravings of a film genius in a constricting straight-jacket (if I may paraphrase) compared with Vigo's earlier and more adventurous Zero for Conduct. But it's great enough for me. And certainly great enough for a better treatment on video/DVD (Criterion, take note).
Rating:
Summary: Sweet, sad, and beautiful
Review: Juliette, a woman in small-town France marries Jean, a barge captain. Within minutes, the newlywed couple start their life together on the barge L'Atlante, where the characters develop and the plot forms. Among the characters is Papa Jules, who is a charming, tattooed old roughneck with an affinity for cats (which are everywhere) who shares stories and tricks with Juliette, and earns the scorn of the jealous and uptight Jean. Docking in Paris, Juliette (played by Dita Parlo, one of the most adorable women ever to grace celluloid), a naieve country girl, is seduced by the culture and charm of the city, and her husband, an uptight bundle of insecurity, just cannot deal with her innocent flirtations. He abandons her, and the emotions start pouring out. The rest cannot be explained in words, you'll just have to see how it works out, as the narrative of the film is incredibly visual.
The cinematography is among the best you'll ever see in your life. Also contains one of the most erotic scenes ever put to film, though no sex is featured. May move you to tears. Essential viewing for film lovers.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing film, disappointing DVD
Review: L'Atalante is one of the most beautiful films ever made. If you're considering buying it, then you probably already know this. But the DVD is a little disappointing. It's great that the film's been restored, but why isn't there a "letterbox" option on the disc so we feel confident we're seeing the full frame as shot by Boris Kaufman? This always bothers me. If there's some reason why the film must be reformatted, then an insert or some commentary should provide an explanation. Another problem is that the title of the featurette included on the disc, "The Making of L'Atalante," is a little misleading. It focuses mainly on the actors and there's very little information about Vigo himself or the actual production of the film. I found it disappointing. Still, Vigo is such a wonderful, tragic figure, and everything he touched is so unique and beautiful, that there's no way to give less than four stars. And I think the DVD is much better than any of the VHS copies that have been released.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing film, disappointing DVD
Review: L'Atalante is one of the most beautiful films ever made. If you're considering buying it, then you probably already know this. But the DVD is a little disappointing. It's great that the film's been restored, but why isn't there a "letterbox" option on the disc so we feel confident we're seeing the full frame as shot by Boris Kaufman? This always bothers me. If there's some reason why the film must be reformatted, then an insert or some commentary should provide an explanation. Another problem is that the title of the featurette included on the disc, "The Making of L'Atalante," is a little misleading. It focuses mainly on the actors and there's very little information about Vigo himself or the actual production of the film. I found it disappointing. Still, Vigo is such a wonderful, tragic figure, and everything he touched is so unique and beautiful, that there's no way to give less than four stars. And I think the DVD is much better than any of the VHS copies that have been released.
Rating:
Summary: River of life
Review: L'Atalante tells the simple story of the trials and tribulations of newlyweds who literally float down the river of life. But there's much more to this movie. The poetic cinematography, the down-to-earth characters, etc. give the film an almost enchanted quality. So many things ring true in this film. The scenes where the newlyweds try to adjust to each other's habits and idiosyncrasies will have you nodding your head. Dita Parlo gives an excellent perfomance as Juliette, the naive young wife who's attracted to the bright lights of Paris, only to discover the seedier side of the city. Michel Simon's role as Jules has to rank among the greatest supporting performances ever. I loved the scene where Jules shows Juliette some of his prized possessions. It's such a shame director Jean Vigo died at a young age. Just think of how many more great movies he would have made.
Rating: 
Summary: A boring movie!
Review: MY RATING- a dubious 5.0 Yeah, you bet, all you french guys who think this is excellent! I found myself looking to the time in my videorecorder waiting ansiously till it finished! I know it may be naturalistic or surrealistic, yet my sincere cinematic opinion is that this is simply a bore!
It's totally uncinematic, since it don't feel the mov going with a nice story to capt our attention. Just a young married couple going in a boat trip in the river and you can expect what's gonna happen- simply nothing happen! Like all french flicks!
At least La Regle Du Jeu had some social critique involved.
My rating is rather dubious cause of my doubts towards the quality of it. I might love this one someday when I learn more symbols or such things. In the meantime I don't have the right of give bad rating--or good rating!
Rating:
Summary: Top ten and one of a kind.
Review: The restoration and theatrical re-release of L'Atalante a decade ago was nothing less than a cinematic event. The movie had been edited to shreds shortly after it's doomed director, Jean Vigo, had presented his original work to an apparently incenced Parisian audience. Just as with Rites of Spring, the Golden Age and Coltrane/Dolphy, the emnity that the work generated from the French audience was strong evidence to the quality and importance of this brilliant piece of avant garde. The movie has been described as a combination of both surrealism and realism, but in truth Vigo's vision is entirely unique, and the style died with him. The emotional mood is practically labile and often ironic, such as the funeral-like reactions of onlookers to the wedding of the young couple, that opens the story. There are gentley jarring moments scattered about; the images of the later estranged lovers, shots of the two hugging themselves, imagining the other, combined to present a haunting view of romance defies description (obviously) and are unforgettable. More captivating than the two young leads is Michedl Simon as the first mate. His comedy touches can only be called sublime. The scene when the bride comes to visit his cabin and witness all his wondrous bounty of mechanical diversion is truely one of film's great gems. The (restored) VHS version of this has remained prohibitively priced. There is no more important film that has waited for it's DVD release. If you haven't had the chance to see it yet, you're in luck.
Rating:
Summary: Top ten and one of a kind.
Review: The restoration and theatrical re-release of L'Atalante a decade ago was nothing less than a cinematic event. The movie had been edited to shreds shortly after it's doomed director, Jean Vigo, had presented his original work to an apparently incenced Parisian audience. Just as with Rites of Spring, the Golden Age and Coltrane/Dolphy, the emnity that the work generated from the French audience was strong evidence to the quality and importance of this brilliant piece of avant garde. The movie has been described as a combination of both surrealism and realism, but in truth Vigo's vision is entirely unique, and the style died with him. The emotional mood is practically labile and often ironic, such as the funeral-like reactions of onlookers to the wedding of the young couple, that opens the story. There are gentley jarring moments scattered about; the images of the later estranged lovers, shots of the two hugging themselves, imagining the other, combined to present a haunting view of romance defies description (obviously) and are unforgettable. More captivating than the two young leads is Michedl Simon as the first mate. His comedy touches can only be called sublime. The scene when the bride comes to visit his cabin and witness all his wondrous bounty of mechanical diversion is truely one of film's great gems. The (restored) VHS version of this has remained prohibitively priced. There is no more important film that has waited for it's DVD release. If you haven't had the chance to see it yet, you're in luck.
Rating:
Summary: Essential
Review: This is my favorite movie; Dita Parlo and particularly Michel Simon are wonderful. The restoration is phenomenal. The DVD release is otherwise not particularly good but the movie is a treasure.
Rating:
Summary: Essential
Review: This is my favorite movie; Dita Parlo and particularly Michel Simon are wonderful. The restoration is phenomenal. The DVD release is otherwise not particularly good but the movie is a treasure.
| 
