L'Atalante (1934)

I was surprised to find this reputed super-classic buried on a disc labeled "The Complete Jean Vigo," which lists three shorts first, in ascending order of length if not popularity. Perhaps this is the Criterion Collection's version of "Warner Night at the Movies," encouraging you to check out the appetizers before the main course. I see the logic in saving the best for last. But I had a feeling that I wouldn't be interested in the whole shebang; even the feature wasn't my usual type.

The title refers to a barge, whose captain, Jean, just got married. Wife Juliette comes aboard for a honeymoon if not a home in the cabin. They discover that it's not as conducive to romance as they'd hoped, thanks to Jean's duties, the barge's squalor, and the presence of a cabin boy and especially First Mate Père Jules. A night out in Paris doesn't improve matters. As tensions rise, Père Jules hopes to facilitate reparations.

I almost gave away the entire plot above. It's so sparse I could hardly help it. Clearly, the popularity of this work does not stem from the story. So what does it have going for it?

Well, the cinematography does get interesting at times. I didn't really notice until near the end, tho, when Jean breaks down into near-catatonia. Maybe most of it was innovative at the time but has become old hat.

I have some appreciation for the humor, provided mainly by Père Jules. He's just absurdly slovenly, if ultimately good-hearted. It's because of him that the barge houses at least six cats, who helped maintain my attention. Too bad he's the only cat lover on board. It's also too bad that his exaggeration keeps the film from boasting an unusually high level of realism.

The romance? It might look sweet to many eyes, but I found Juliette impatient and Jean worse -- abusive by modern standards, in fact, and probably annoying in any age. Do we even want them to save their marriage?

It's not another Journey to Italy, but it reinforces my perception that foreign movies on the British Film Institute's top 100 (this one #12) rarely do much for me. I'm tempted to purge my queue of all remaining entries from that list.