Saint Jean Vigo (1905-1934).

French anarchist film writer/director (& son of the anarchist Eugene Vigo - aka Miguel Almereyda). Born April 26, 1905.

Jean Vigo led a poor & wretched childhood, made particularly difficult with his fathers frequent stays in prison because of his activism.

Vigo's father died under "mysterious" circumstances in his cell, in 1917, which provoked some political scandal.Jean Vigo was only 12 years old & already afflicted with the tuberculosis which would take his short life. Fortunately his meeting with Lydou, daughter of a Polish industrialist, allowed him to begin his short career as a committed film writer & maker.

In 1930 Vigo's first film was released: A propos de Nice, a virulent social satire. In 1933, Vigo released his most famous film, Zero De Conduite (Zero for Conduct) -- which was immediately banned & censored for "praise of indiscipline & attacking the prestige of the teaching profession". Another film Evadé du bagne, recalling the life of Eugene Dieudonné, remained an unfinished project, but in 1934 he produced L'Atalante. But, under commercial pretexts & by fear of the censors, the film did not appear in its original form.

Jean Vigo was a member of the Association of Revolutionary Writers & Artists from 1932, & was involved with the libertarians (particularly Jeanne Humbert, who was his "godmother").

Jean Vigo died of tuberculosis, October 5, 1934, at 29 years old. 



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• Lindsay Anderson's 1968 film If is a modern remake of Vigo's Zero for Conduct.http://sepnet.com/rcramer/foreign2.htm

  

• Peter Weir, it appears, found inspiration for Dead Poets' Society from Vigo's vision of schoolboy rebellion.

  

• http://www.starseeker.com/director/vigo_j.htm

  

• Vigo, Histoire d'Une Passion, http://www.ecran-noir.com/films/99/vigo.htm

  

• There is now the prestigious flim award, Le Prix Jean Vigo; see http://www.ecran-noir.com/evenements/prix/98/jeanvigo/

  

• Of interest, see the book (out of print) Anarchist Cinema by Alan Lovell

  



Filmography:

1930 - A Propos de Nice (court métrage)
1931 - Taris ou la natation (court métrage)
1932 - Zéro de conduite (court métrage)
1933 - L'Atalante



http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/users/m/mcweaver/public/vigo.html

http://www.malaspina.edu/~mcneil/vigo.htm

http://www.videoflicks.com/VF/25/025038.Htm

Various books related to Jean Vigo listed at Amazon.com, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/av-search/q%3Djean%2Bvigo/002-4560245-3031024









Life in a French boarding school, where the authorities attempt to regiment the students — unsuccessfully. The kids are all wonderfully spontaneous; one of the best films ever about children among children. The inspiration for If…. Written by the director.

—Leonard Maltin



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