Rating: 
Summary: One Time Wonder
Review: "L'Atalante" directed by Jean Vigo was made post-silent era, 1933. But it retains the photo story telling of cameraman, B. Kaufman ("On the Waterfront"). The lighting,overlaps, and F-stop tricks give this comedy of young love a romantic shimmer. Juliette (Dita Parlo, we see her again in Renior's "Grand Illusion") is a small town girl that falls for the boat Captain of a Seine River barge, Jean (Jean Daste). Michel Simon is the jester 1st Mate, a man who has lived life in a circus quirky way. Alas, young Juliette finds life on the boat as small as her village, so when they arrive in Paris, a series of events separate the lovers. The dialogue is not important, so the cinematography carries the story. The river and boat are dirty and worn, the rough industrial areas of Paris are ugly, and the unemployed rabbles of Paris are terrible. Dismissed as a trifling comedy when it first came out, by 1952, the New French Wave recognized Vigo's film as a masterpiece and a great inspiration. "L'Atalante" is now ranked in the top five best films ever made.
Rating: 
Summary: A simple film.
Review: "L'Atalante" is one of those strikingly simple films. So simple that it leaves you wondering if you missed something. But to me that's just it. Vigo's masterpiece doesn't need all these distractions. It is a beautiful story about the love between two people. "L'Atalante" is as charming as it is beautiful. It is definitely worth seeing and the bonus material on the DVD are a pleasant suprise. Annette Insdorf (Columbia University) speaks in detail about "L'Atalante" and french cinema. While "L'Atalante" is a great film it is not one of my favorite films, but nonetheless a masterpiece of cinema.
Rating:
Summary: One Time Wonder
Review: "L'Atalante" directed by Jean Vigo was made post-silent era, 1933. But it retains the photo story telling of cameraman, B. Kaufman ("On the Waterfront"). The lighting,overlaps, and F-stop tricks give this comedy of young love a romantic shimmer. Juliette (Dita Parlo, we see her again in Renior's "Grand Illusion") is a small town girl that falls for the boat Captain of a Seine River barge, Jean (Jean Daste). Michel Simon is the jester 1st Mate, a man who has lived life in a circus quirky way. Alas, young Juliette finds life on the boat as small as her village, so when they arrive in Paris, a series of events separate the lovers. The dialogue is not important, so the cinematography carries the story. The river and boat are dirty and worn, the rough industrial areas of Paris are ugly, and the unemployed rabbles of Paris are terrible. Dismissed as a trifling comedy when it first came out, by 1952, the New French Wave recognized Vigo's film as a masterpiece and a great inspiration. "L'Atalante" is now ranked in the top five best films ever made.
Rating:
Summary: A simple film.
Review: "L'Atalante" is one of those strikingly simple films. So simple that it leaves you wondering if you missed something. But to me that's just it. Vigo's masterpiece doesn't need all these distractions. It is a beautiful story about the love between two people. "L'Atalante" is as charming as it is beautiful. It is definitely worth seeing and the bonus material on the DVD are a pleasant suprise. Annette Insdorf (Columbia University) speaks in detail about "L'Atalante" and french cinema. While "L'Atalante" is a great film it is not one of my favorite films, but nonetheless a masterpiece of cinema.
Rating: 
Summary: A near-masterpiece; end of story.
Review: After seeing this, you can only wonder what Vigo would've given us if he'd lived longer. The movie is a simply-told story of love winning over all. The restoration is excellent, and some of the cinematography borders on stunning. The screenplay encompasses comedy, love. discord, jealousy, tenderness and more almost effortlessly. There's one unforgettabl;e sequence that's genuinely sensuous, despite the fact the two characters are nowhere near each other. As far as the cast goes, most of it is excellent, with only a few small slips. This is definitely one worth owning.
Rating:
Summary: A word about the DVD
Review: Earlier reviewers have complained about this DVD's quality, and I want to clear up the confusion. The way that New Yorker Films (not connected to The New Yorker magazine) has packaged this DVD is outstanding. They've specialized in more recent (i.e., post-1970) foreign films, so if this is what they can do with older films, I'd love to see them work on others. It's not quite Criterion-level quality, but considering the challenges, it's as impressive as many of Criterion's major accomplishments.
For a movie that was all but lost to us, they've has done wonders with the restoration. The aspect ratio is accurate, contrary to what one reviewer says below. Since L'Atalante was made before 1953, it CAN'T be shown in letterbox! Unfortunately, there's slight cropping at the left and top throughout the film, and it's especially notable during the opening titles. French directors of the 1930s regularly had their action overflow the frame, so it's difficult to say how much this cropping affects the rest of the film. There's also slight debris on the print, but that's unavoidable for a film of this age and history. There is also some confusion on the film's running time. The advertised 89 minutes only applies to VHS tapes. The actually film runs about 85 minutes, including the opening and closing titles. However, critics believe that this version (based on an early 1934 print and supplemented with better-quality outtakes) is as close to Vigo's intended vision as we'll ever get. He died before he could oversee a "final cut."
The extras are slim, but worthwhile. There's a filmography for Vigo and 2 galleries (one of posters and one of stills and behind-the-scene photos). Best of all is a short documentary about L'Atalante. It's called "The Making of..." but it's more of an appreciation than a history. It's a nice addition, but should be watched AFTER you see the movie. I'd have liked more detail on the restoration process, but what's here is fine.
If you like French films of the '30s (especially those of Renoir and Carne), then this DVD is a must-own. Anyone else who considers him/herself a student of cinema needs at least to rent it. Either way, rest assured that this is a fine transfer. My only reservation concerns the very slight cropping of the frame.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Perfect
Review: 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. 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). 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.
Rating:
Summary: An understated French masterpiece... Beautiful!!
Review: French director Jean Vigo's only full-length feature is every bit the bittersweet masterpiece critics proclaim it to be. Very much in the tradition of director Marcel Pagnol, this is a beautifully-shot, naturalistic portrait of a young couple in love, entering a new life together as a captain and his newlywed bride aboard a merchant barge that travels back and forth from Le Havre to Paris. The musty confines of the ship are cramped and unglamourous, and "The Missus" yearns for a little playtime and romance, particularly when they dock for several days in Paris. He's disenchanted by the city's charms, however, and his inattention to his wife's desires leads to trouble to affects the entire crew. Dita Parlo is compelling as the girl, but in many ways the star of the show is supporting actor Michel Simon, who plays the lusty, loutish second mate, a vaguely menacing character who opens up to help make "The Missus" feel welcome onboard and helps provoke her husband's jealousy. The emotional interplay between these characters is deftly and economically rendered, and the cinematography is simply stunning. Plus, cat lovers will be delighted by the cats and kittens which Pere Jules has packed into every available corner of the boat... such cuteness!
Rating:
Summary: An understated French masterpiece... Beautiful!!
Review: French director Jean Vigo's only full-length feature is every bit the bittersweet masterpiece critics proclaim it to be. Very much in the tradition of director Marcel Pagnol, this is a beautifully-shot, naturalistic portrait of a young couple in love, entering a new life together as a captain and his newlywed bride aboard a merchant barge that travels back and forth from Le Havre to Paris. The musty confines of the ship are cramped and unglamourous, and "The Missus" yearns for a little playtime and romance, particularly when they dock for several days in Paris. He's disenchanted by the city's charms, however, and his inattention to his wife's desires leads to trouble to affects the entire crew. Dita Parlo is compelling as the girl, but in many ways the star of the show is supporting actor Michel Simon, who plays the lusty, loutish second mate, a vaguely menacing character who opens up to help make "The Missus" feel welcome onboard and helps provoke her husband's jealousy. The emotional interplay between these characters is deftly and economically rendered, and the cinematography is simply stunning. Plus, cat lovers will be delighted by the cats and kittens which Pere Jules has packed into every available corner of the boat... such cuteness!
Rating:
Summary: Timeless Classic, a Poetic And Lyrical Cinematic Gem!
Review: In 1934, Jean Vigo came as close to actually creating a cinematic poem as anyone before or since. Jean Vigo was one of cinema's greatest tragedies, a boundless original talent that was just springing and had much more to offer. Who knows how many more masterpieces he would have filmed? In 1933 he made the imaginatively surreal 'Zero for Conduct' and caused a lot of controversy and even caused it to be banned in some countries. But the film that followed; L'Atalante, would be his crowning masterpiece, a hauntingly beautiful and poetic film. Vigo tragically died of septicemia at 29 but not before leaving us this beautiful dream-like masterpiece. One of the screen's greatest romances and probably the best and most understanding film ever made about young love. Boris Kaufman's evocative cinematography captures some of the most hauntingly beautiful images ever filmed. Some of the scenes linger in the mind for quite a long time after the first viewing. The scene when the two young lovers are making imaginary love in separate locations and the sequence when Jean Dasté dives into the water to try and picture his beloved's face are intoxicatingly beautiful and unforgettable. Even the performances are timeless. Jean Dasté, who also starred in Vigo's 'Zero for Conduct' is unforgettable as the young captain of L'Atalante who is hopelessly in love with Dita Parlo. Parlo delivers a truly timeless performance, she would star in Renoir's 'Grand Illusion' just four years later. But it is Michel Simon's legendary performance as Jules that is truly unforgettable. Simply one of the most beautiful and deeply poetic films ever made and it still feels passionate and moving. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 10!
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