Jean Vigo
Encyclopedia
Jean Vigo was a French film director
, who helped establish poetic realism
in film in the 1930s
and was a posthumous influence on the French New Wave
of the late 1950s
and early 1960s
.
Vigo was married and had a daughter, Luce Vigo (a film critic) in 1931. He died in 1934 of complications from tuberculosis
, which he had contracted eight years earlier.
(1933
) and L'Atalante
(1934
).
He also made two other films: À propos de Nice
(1930), a subversive silent film
examining social inequity in 1920s Nice
; and Taris, roi de l'eau
(1931), a motion study of swimmer Jean Taris
.
Zéro de conduite was banned by the French government until after the war and L'Atalante was mutilated by its distributor. Both have outlived their detractors however and L'Atalante was chosen as the 10th-greatest film of all time in Sight & Sound
s 1962 poll, and as the 6th-best in its 1992 poll. In the 1990s a complete copy of L'Atalante was found in Italy and the oeuvre was restored to its integrity.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, who helped establish poetic realism
Poetic realism
Poetic realism was a film movement in France of the 1930s and through the war years. More a tendency than a movement, Poetic Realism is not strongly unified like Soviet Montage or French Impressionism. Its leading filmmakers were Jean Renoir, Pierre Chenal, Jean Vigo, Julien Duvivier, and Marcel...
in film in the 1930s
1930s in film
The decade of the 1930s in film involved many significant films. 1939 was one of the biggest years in Hollywood.----Contents# Events# List of films: # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z....
and was a posthumous influence on the French New Wave
French New Wave
The New Wave was a blanket term coined by critics for a group of French filmmakers of the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced by Italian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema. Although never a formally organized movement, the New Wave filmmakers were linked by their self-conscious rejection of...
of the late 1950s
1950s in film
The decade of the 1950s in film involved many significant films.----Contents1 Events2 List of films: # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z.-Events:...
and early 1960s
1960s in film
The decade of the 1960s in film involved many significant films.----Contents1 Events2 List of films: # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z.Hundreds of full-length films were produced during the 1960s....
.
Biography
Vigo was born to Emily Clero and the prominent Spanish/Catalan militant anarchist Eugeni Bonaventura de Vigo i Sallés (who adopted the name Miguel Almereyda - an anagram of "y'a la merde", which translates as "there's the shit"). Much of his early life was spent on the run with his parents. His father was strangled in his cell in Fresnes Prison on the night of 13 August 1917; allegedly the authorities were responsible. The young Vigo was subsequently sent to boarding school under an assumed name, Jean Sales, to conceal his identity.Vigo was married and had a daughter, Luce Vigo (a film critic) in 1931. He died in 1934 of complications from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, which he had contracted eight years earlier.
Career
Vigo is noted for two films which affected the future development of both French and world cinema: Zéro de conduiteZéro de Conduite
Zéro de conduite is a 1933 French film directed by Jean Vigo. It was first shown on 7 April 1933, and was subsequently banned in France until 15 February 1946....
(1933
1933 in film
-Events:* March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City.* June 6 - The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey.* British Film Institute founded....
) and L'Atalante
L'Atalante
L'Atalante is a 1934 French film directed by Jean Vigo and starring Jean Dasté, Dita Parlo and Michel Simon. It has been hailed by many critics as one of the greatest films of all time.-Plot summary:...
(1934
1934 in film
-Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade...
).
He also made two other films: À propos de Nice
À propos de Nice
À propos de Nice is a 1930 silent short documentary film directed by Jean Vigo and photographed by Boris Kaufman. The film depicts life in Nice, France by documenting the people in the city, their daily routines, a carnival and social inequalities...
(1930), a subversive silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
examining social inequity in 1920s Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
; and Taris, roi de l'eau
Taris, roi de l'eau
Jean Taris, Swimming Champion is a 1931 French short documentary film directed by Jean Vigo, about the French swimmer Jean Taris. The film is notable for the many innovative techniques that Vigo uses, including close ups and freeze frames of the swimmer's body....
(1931), a motion study of swimmer Jean Taris
Jean Taris
Jean C. E. Taris was a French swimmer who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics, 1932 Summer Olympics and 1936 Summer Olympics.-Career:Taris was born in Versailles....
.
Zéro de conduite was banned by the French government until after the war and L'Atalante was mutilated by its distributor. Both have outlived their detractors however and L'Atalante was chosen as the 10th-greatest film of all time in Sight & Sound
Sight & Sound
Sight & Sound is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute .Sight & Sound was first published in 1932 and in 1934 management of the magazine was handed to the nascent BFI, which still publishes the magazine today...
s 1962 poll, and as the 6th-best in its 1992 poll. In the 1990s a complete copy of L'Atalante was found in Italy and the oeuvre was restored to its integrity.
Legacy
- The Prix Jean VigoPrix Jean VigoThe Prix Jean Vigo is an award in the Cinema of France given annually since 1951 to a French film director in homage to Jean Vigo. It was founded by French writer Claude...
is an annual award given since 1951 to outstanding French film directors. - The Jean Vigo Award is an annual prize given to Best Director at the Navarra Int'l Documentary Film Festival in Spain.
External links
- Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database
- Jean Vigo Anarchist Encyclopedia
- Jean Vigo (Bibliotheca Augustana)]
- Punto de Vista festival "sees Jean Vigo as a permanent point of reference and guide."