Even among cinema’s legends, Jean Vigo (1905–1934) stands apart. The son of a notorious anarchist, Vigo had a brief but brilliant career making poetic, influential films, always refusing to play by the rules.
À Propos de Nice(1930), a silent cinematic poem, is an absurdist and invigorating slice-of-life look at the resort town of Nice. Taris (1931), an experimental documentary short about champion swimmer Jean Taris, features incredible slow- motion and underwater photography. And the highly influential Zero for Conduct (1933) presents a sweet-natured vision of childhood as a time of imagination and rules-flouting—including the famous slow-motion pillow fight—based on Vigo’s own experiences. All three films presented in new 4K restorations.
Read more about Jean Vigo and his work in these two essays from the Criterion Collection.
L’Atalante: Canal Music by Luc Sante
