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L’Atalante (1934)
L’Atalante follows a newly married couple as they venture out to sea aboard a rather meek vessel adorned with the movie’s title. Immediately following marriage, a crowded boat isn’t exactly a desirable setting for Juliette (the female lead), especially when its occupied by a seemingly endless slew of cats and a weary oddball named Père Jules. So when the opportunity presents itself, Juliette is naturally lured to the dazzling lights, animated characters, and majestic reputation of Paris. Longing for adventure and feeling tempted after a brief glimpse into the stimulating spirit of the city, the girl is naively drawn away from the boat. The film then shows that the city can be far less fruitful and attractive when experienced alone.
Paris isn’t presented in metropolitan grandeur, but modestly as a place of free-spiritedness and excitement. The highs and lows of the city are captured in the city’s nightlife, music, and personalities (ranging from the delightfully eccentric to the unscrupulous). Contrastingly, the crowded cabins aboard L’Atalante are supplied with detail that accentuates claustrophobia, making it easy to see why anyone confined aboard the vessel would long for an enticing life beyond. The offbeat and Romantic nature of the story and the unique cast of characters with their identifying quirks seems to have noticeably rubbed off on the likes of Jean Pierre Jeunet (parallels could be drawn between Jules and One in The City of Lost Children, for instance).
Though the story is primarily about a struggling marriage, there is an unusually quirky atmosphere that may catch the fancy of those who aren’t necessarily drawn to classic romance movies. In particular, the eccentricity of Père Jules and his cabin (stocked with a trove of strange trinkets) adds a bizarre element. Père Jules is arguably the most intriguing part of the film. Despite being a third-wheel, he stands out in every scene he’s in. His character may be dopey enough to provide comic relief, but he also has a sympathetic charm. One can’t help but feel for the louse who gets manipulated, laughed at, and abused for the duration of the movie. When his cabin is explored, his apparent world-traveled past adds another dynamic to consider. He may be a grunt, but his cabin reveals exotic relics from the world over that he shows off with a humble candor; and his scarred and tattooed body suggests a troubled past that has potentially wreaked havoc on his mental state.
Père Jules character may be intentionally exaggerated, but the rest of the film is pleasantly understated and unpretentious. Despite the odd detail put into the vessel, there’s a modest lack of attention put on glamourizing the city (even a modicum of activity is enough to attract Juliette). The plot, which focuses on emotion instead of contrivances, may be a little too minimal for some, but it should appeal to those that find satisfaction in poetic simplicity.
L’Atalante follows a newly married couple as they venture out to sea aboard a rather meek vessel adorned with the movie’s title. Immediately following marriage, a crowded boat isn’t exactly a desirable setting for Juliette (the female lead), especially when its occupied by a seemingly endless slew of cats and a weary oddball named Père Jules. So when the opportunity presents itself, Juliette is naturally lured to the dazzling lights, animated characters, and majestic reputation of Paris. Longing for adventure and feeling tempted after a brief glimpse into the stimulating spirit of the city, the girl is naively drawn away from the boat. The film then shows that the city can be far less fruitful and attractive when experienced alone.
Paris isn’t presented in metropolitan grandeur, but modestly as a place of free-spiritedness and excitement. The highs and lows of the city are captured in the city’s nightlife, music, and personalities (ranging from the delightfully eccentric to the unscrupulous). Contrastingly, the crowded cabins aboard L’Atalante are supplied with detail that accentuates claustrophobia, making it easy to see why anyone confined aboard the vessel would long for an enticing life beyond. The offbeat and Romantic nature of the story and the unique cast of characters with their identifying quirks seems to have noticeably rubbed off on the likes of Jean Pierre Jeunet (parallels could be drawn between Jules and One in The City of Lost Children, for instance).
Though the story is primarily about a struggling marriage, there is an unusually quirky atmosphere that may catch the fancy of those who aren’t necessarily drawn to classic romance movies. In particular, the eccentricity of Père Jules and his cabin (stocked with a trove of strange trinkets) adds a bizarre element. Père Jules is arguably the most intriguing part of the film. Despite being a third-wheel, he stands out in every scene he’s in. His character may be dopey enough to provide comic relief, but he also has a sympathetic charm. One can’t help but feel for the louse who gets manipulated, laughed at, and abused for the duration of the movie. When his cabin is explored, his apparent world-traveled past adds another dynamic to consider. He may be a grunt, but his cabin reveals exotic relics from the world over that he shows off with a humble candor; and his scarred and tattooed body suggests a troubled past that has potentially wreaked havoc on his mental state.
Père Jules character may be intentionally exaggerated, but the rest of the film is pleasantly understated and unpretentious. Despite the odd detail put into the vessel, there’s a modest lack of attention put on glamourizing the city (even a modicum of activity is enough to attract Juliette). The plot, which focuses on emotion instead of contrivances, may be a little too minimal for some, but it should appeal to those that find satisfaction in poetic simplicity.