L'Atalante

Jean, the captain of a river barge, marries Juliette, a young woman from the countryside, and brings her aboard the Atalante to live with him, the first mate Père Jules and a cabin boy. The couple's early happiness gives way to friction as the confined life on the water wears on Juliette, who is drawn to the city and its attractions. Jean's jealousy and the cramped routine strain the marriage, and the two separate before a path back to each other opens. Michel Simon, Dita Parlo and Jean Dasté lead the cast.

Jean Vigo directed L'Atalante, his second and final feature, following Zero for Conduct a year earlier. It was released in France in April 1934 and runs 88 minutes. The screenplay, written by Vigo with Jean Guinée and Albert Riéra, and the production, handled by Jacques-Louis Noumez's company, place it in the French cinema of its period, mixing working life on the canals with a lyrical and comic tone.

Audiences today regard the film warmly: it holds 7.7 out of 10 on IMDb from around 19,000 votes and 7.5 out of 10 on TMDB from roughly 482 votes. Critics rate it higher still, 9.5 out of 10 across 40 reviews, a gap suggesting that its reputation rests on admiration from reviewers as much as on broad public approval.