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It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Having directed a trio of masterpieces - two documentaries and a short feature - Jean Vigo finally directed a feature film. Unfortunately, "L'Atalante" turned out to be his final film; he died of tuberculosis the year of its release, aged 29. Vigo's swan song, like his earlier releases, was a fine piece of work. This one focuses on a marriage and the problems that the newlyweds face. The most impressive scene is towards the end, when Jean and Juliette lie in their beds imagining each other, affirming that - despite the bad things that have befallen them since they tied the knot - they are meant to be together. A good note on which to end.It would've been interesting to see where Vigo would've gone with his movies had he survived. I understand that his oeuvre influenced the French New Wave of the 1960s. Makes sense. I hope that more and more people pay attention to Vigo's works in the coming years. He was one great director, even though he only turned out four productions.Great movie, this one.

I don't have much to say about this film other than the fact that at 25 minutes in, I was considering shutting it off, but I decided to finish it because I didn't have anything else to do. I'm very glad I finished it. It was charming for reasons that I can't put into words.

L'Atalante (1934) (French: Le Chaland Qui Passe {The Passing Barge}) Director: Jean Vigo Watched: March 2018 Rating: 7/10 {Clue: This film proves that more is not always better; sometimes, this is best.} Silent film spirit with limited dialogue- instead spotlighting poetic images and enchanting scenes, Interesting supporting characters with colorful personalities, like the one-man band street peddler that tries to woo Juliette, Magical realism elements like the folk tale that says one can see the face of their true lover in the water and that celestial underwater love scene, Père Jules is the glue that holds this little barge party together- with his wiseness disguised by comical antics, Lacks character and emotional depth; more a playful work of art than a film masterpiece, Easily makes the list of magical, timeless love stories- though overrated by critics and top ten lists. Acrostic is a form of poetry where the first letters in each line, paragraph, or word are doubly used to spell a name, phrase, or word. The word "acrostic" comes from the Greek words "akros" (outermost) and "stichos" (line of verse). Read the appropriate letters in the poem vertically to reveal the extra message, called the "acrostich"! #Acrostic #PoemReview #Classics

There are three main reasons that made me watch this: because it's old, foreign (french, in this case) and because I love ships.Honestly I thought I'd like this movie much better. It just couldn't captivate me. I think that this movie's reputation as one of the all-time greats doesn't justify. Its plot is simple but not especially involving, or maybe it just wasn't properly worked. Basically it's all about a married couple on their honeymoon (or is it bittermoon?) in a boat trip (a boat used to have only men aboard) and very little happens - that is, other than constant conflicts aboard. The majority of characters are not likable, except the cats and the young woman.I didn't like it very much, but François Truffaut did, as did other filmmakers of the French New Wave. They probably took a lesson or two from this to create their own films.A shame that director Jean Vigo died so young (he was 29). Had he lived a longer life and maybe he could have become a big name in the french cinema.