(26 April 1905 - 5 October 1934)
Jean Vigo was a gifted and important film director despite the fact that he made only four films, two of
which were not feature length films. He is frequently mentioned in books on film history because of his influence
on surrealistic films, modern films, and new wave French films. His film style was a poetic synthesis of art and film. Unfortunately, he died at
the age of 29, a promising young filmmaker whose films had been characterized as anti-France and were
heavily edited by the French government.
Biography
Filmography:
INDEX: A Propos de Nice | Taris |
Zero de Conduite | L'Atalante | Unrealized Projects
Bibliography
- A Propos de Nice (About Nice) (1929) - Filmed on location in Nice, France.
First shown in Paris, 28 May 1930
Vigo approached this film "as if it were a parenthesis between two extremes:
the state of nature wihtout man, and life in a modern city. It is important
that the presence of man or of any of his works be nowhere evident. The marvellous
countryside should be there alone, just as nature made it. The countryside placed
under the tutelage of the sky and the influence of the sea."
- Producer, Director, Script & Editor: Jean Vigo
- Director of Photography: Boris Kaufman
Back to Index
- Taris (or Jean Taris, champion de natation; Taris roi de l'eau) (1931) -
Filmed at the Automobile Club de France swimming pool, and at G.F.F.A. Studios
in Paris
- Production Company: Gaumont-Franco-Film-Aubert (G.F.F.A.)
- Executive Producer: C. Morskoi
- Producer, Director, Script & Editor: Jean Vigo
- Assistant Director, Ary Sadoul
- Director of Photography: Boris Kaufman
Back to Index
- Zero de Conduite (Zero for Behavior) (1933) - Filmed at G.F.F.A. Studios
in Paris, and on location at Saint-Cloud and at Belleville-la-Villette rail
station, 24 December 1932-22 January 1933. First shown in Paris, 7 April 1933
(Banned in France).
- Production Company: Argui-Films
- Executive Producer: Jacques-Louis Nounez
- Producer, Director, Script & Editor: Jean Vigo
- Assistant Directors: Albert Riera, Henri Storck & Pierre Merle
- Director of Photography: Boris Kaufman
- Camera Assistant: Louis Berger
- Art Directors: Jean Vigo, Henri Storck & Boris Kaufman
- Music: Maurice Jaubert
- Songs: Maurice Jaubert & Charles Goldblatt
- Sound: Royne, Bocquel
- Actors: Louis Lefevre as Caussat; Gilbert Pluchon as Colin; Gerard de
Bedarieux as Tabard; Constantin Goldstein-Kehler as Bruel; Jean Daste as
Huguet; Robert Le Flon as M. Parrain (Dry-Fart); Delphin as the Principal;
Du Verron [Blanchar] as M. Santt (Gas-Snout); Leon Larive as the Chemistry
Professor; Georges Berger as the Guardian; Louis de Gonzague-Frick as the
Prefect; Henri Storck as the Cure; Michele Fayard as the Guardian's Daughter;
Felix Labisse as the 1st Fireman; Georges Patin as the 2nd Fireman; Raphael
Diligent as the 3rd Fireman; Georges Vakalo as the 4th Fireman; Mme. Emile
as Mother Beans; Albert Riera as the Nightwatchman; and Georges Belmer,
Natale Bencini, Leonello Bencini, Emile Boulez, Maurice Cariel, Jean-Pierre
Dumesnil, Igor Goldrfarb, Lucien Lincks, Charles Michiels, Roger Porte,
Jacques Poulin, Pierre Regnoux, Ali Ronchy, Georges Rougette, Andre Thille,
Pierre Tridon & Paul Vilhem as the Boys
Back to Index
- L'Atalante (1934) - Filmed at G.F.F.A. Studios in Paris, and on location
at Conflans-Saint-Honorine, Maurecourt, Paris, and on various canals, 15 November
1933-February 1934. First shown in Paris, 25 April 1934
- Production Company: Argui-Films
- Executive Producer: Jacques-Louis Nounez
- Producer & Director: Jean Vigo
- Assistant Directors: Albert Riera, Charles Goldblatt & Pierre Merle
- Script: Jean Vigo & Albert Riera - based on an original scenario by Jean
Guinee [R. de Guichen]
- Director of Photography: Boris Kaufman
- Camera Assistants: Louis Berger & Jean-Paul Alphen
- Editor: Louis Chavance
- Art Director: Francis Jourdain
- Music: Maurice Jaubert
- Songs: Maurice Jaubert & Charles Goldblatt
- Actors: Michael Simon as Pere Jules, Jean Daste as Jean, Dita Parlo as
Juliette, Gilles Margaritis as the Pedlar, Louis Lefevre as the Cabin Boy,
Fanny Clar as Juliette's Mother, Raphael Diligent as Juliette's Father,
Charles Goldblatt as the Thief, Rene Bleck as the Best Man, Gen Paul as
the Guest with a Limp, Jacques Prevert, Pierre Prevert & Loutchimoukov
Back to Index
When Jean Vigo died he had a number of unrealized projects listed below
- Le Tennis (or Cochet) - Script by Vigo & Albert Riera
- Anneaux - Script by Henri Poulaille & Serge Choubine
- La Camargue - Script by Vigo, Albert Riera (idea from Jacques-Louis Nounez)
- Le Bagne (or L' Evade du Bagne) - Script by Eugene Dieudonne and Julot Dupong based on Albert Londres' writings about the Dieudonne affair
- Le Metro - Script by Vigo
- Clown par amour - Adaptation of Georges de la Fouchardiere novel
- Lourdes - Script by Vigo
- Au Cafe - Script by Vigo
- Lignes de la Main - Script by Vigo
- Chauvinisme - Script by Vigo
- Le Execution de Marineche - Script by Claude Aveline from his novel Le Point du Jour
- Le Timide qui prend feu - Script by Claude Aveline
- La Double Mort de Frederic Belot - Adaptation of a novel by Claude Aveline
- Contrebandiers - Script by Blaise Cendrars
- La Revanche des Eaux - Script by Georges Charensol
- La Boite a Surprises - Script by Paul Gilson
- La Deesee - Script by Felix Labisse
- L'Affaire Peau de Balle - Adaptation from a Georges de la Fouchardiere novel
- Matinee - Script by Leon Levy & Henri Storck
- L' Honnete Homme - Script by Jacques-Louis Nounez
- Cafe du Bon Accueil - Script by Jean Painleve
- L' Inventeur - Script by Albert Riera & Rene Lefevre
- L' Affaire Saint Fiacre - Adaptation of a Georges Simenon novel
- Evariste - Script by Henri Storck
- Si on pariait - Script by Jules Supervielle
- Le Pensionnat sur le Toit - Script by Henri-Pierre Roche
Biography of Jean Vigo
Jean Vigo's life was interesting. He was born to Miguel Almereyda (alias Eugene Bonaventure de Vigo),
a militant anarchist, and Emily Clero, another young militant, on April 26, 1906 at rue Polonceau in Paris
in an attic full of cats. He was nicknamed Nono, after the hero of Jean Grave's children's stories. His
father died somewhat mysteriously in a Fresnes prison on 13 August 1917.
Custody of Jean Vigo was given to Gabriel Aubes. Jean was very sickly as a child and was ill for several
weeks upon arrival at Aubes' home. Meanwhile the Aubes tried to find a school in which to enroll Vigo.
He was sent to a boarding school under an assumed name, Jean Sales. In 1922 Vigo went to Paris to live with his
mother. In nearby Chartres he enrolled at the Lycee Marceau under his real name. He later attended the
Sorbonne .
Vigo met and married Elisabeth Lozinska (Lydou), who was the daughter of a manufacturer in Lodz. He
worked at the Franco Film studio assisting the cameraman. After a month he was out of work. He bought
a second hand Debrie and began filming anything he could.
His first film was A Propos de Nice a story of Nice. Next was Taris,
then Zero de Conduite, and L'Atalante. When Jean Vigo
died he had a number of unrealized projects which are listed above.
There are several excellent books about Jean Vigo. In addition information can be found in books on film reviews
and books about directors. See Bibliography
Last Updated January 1996
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