L'Atalante (1934)

L'Atalante; proof that you should always listen to your friends/go see the one film you've never heard of that's on at your local independent cinema. Because yeah, sometimes you'll catch a stinker of a film, but just as often you'll probably end up seeing a gem like this one.

L'Atalante was made before World War Two, when films were pretty conventional affairs (not to say there weren't some beauts, but the stories were linear and so forth). Then you have the French New Wave around the 50s with people like Godard and so on. Yet before that you have L'Atalante, a film where you can actually see the influence it has had on people throughout the film. The film follows a young newly wed couple, a woman who has never left her village before, and a captain of a boat, and the crew on the boat which consists of an old man, a young man and countless cats as well. It follows them to Paris, and beyond, and then back again. And that's about it. It's a film that just looks at a snapshot of life rather than any encapsulated story or theme.

The surprise I had with this film, much like with Strictly Ballroom, was that it was a comedy. To begin with I wasn't sure if what I was laughing at I was supposed to be laughing at, but as the film went on I realised that there simply couldn't be this much accidental laughter. Most of the laughs come from the old crewman (pictured above), who forms a friendship with the young bride (much to the grooms annoyance) and helps ease her into life on the rivers. The husband is fairly restrictive of the young woman who simply wants to go out and see the world that she's heard about. He even goes so far as to abandon her at one point in a fit of anger toward her.

The film has a refreshingly modern feel to it, I can't begin to imagine what it would have felt like in 1934, but today it doesn't feel dated at all, except on occasion when the picture crackled (some of the damage to this film is unable to be repaired). The characters feel pretty true, perhaps exaggerated versions of the reality, but that's what cinema is for. As the film goes on new themes emerge, the theme of true love, destiny, and it is tied into following ones path, both in life, and on the river. It's a neat little concept that you're never explicitly let on to, but is something I am fairly sure was intended. Visually the film excels too, with special effects that whilst being of their time, don't look naff these days. Images of a loved on dancing in visions under water are the main ones and they work really well.

Overall I was very impressed by this film. It amused me, it had a nice story, and felt fresh and original, despite the influence it must have had on the New Wave of cinema. A treat.