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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "LeChaland qui passe" )
directed
by Jean Vigo
France 1934
| Jean Vigo’s
only full-length feature (1934, 89 min.), one of the supreme
masterpieces of French cinema, was edited and then brutally
re-edited while Vigo was on his deathbed, so a definitive
restoration is impossible. But the one carried out in 1990 is
probably the best and most complete we’ll ever be able to see, and
it’s a wonder to behold. The simple love-story plot involves the
marriage of a provincial woman (Dita Parlo) to the skipper of a
barge (Jean Dasté), and the only other characters of consequence are
the barge’s skeletal crew (Michel Simon and Louis Lefebvre) and a
peddler (Gilles Margaritis) who flirts with the wife at a cabaret
and describes the wonders of Paris to her. The sensuality of the
characters and the settings, indelibly caught in Boris Kaufman’s
glistening cinematography, are only part of the film’s remarkable
poetry, the conviction of which goes beyond such categories as
realism or surrealism, just as the powerful sexuality in the film
ultimately transcends such categories as heterosexuality,
homosexuality, and even bisexuality. Shot by shot and moment by
moment, the film is so fully alive to the world’s possibilities that
magic and reality seem to function as opposite sides of the same
coin, with neither fully adequate to Vigo’s vision. Excerpt from Jonathan Rosenbaum's article "30 Great Movies on DVD" located HERE |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: September 12th, 1934
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Comparison:
Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL vs. New Yorker - Region 1 - NTSC
Big thanks to Gregory Meshman and Gary Tooze for the Screen Caps!
(Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT vs. New Yorker - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)
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| Distribution |
Artificial Eye Region 2 - PAL |
New
Yorker Region 1 - NTSC |
| Runtime | 1:25:15 (4% PAL speedup) | 1:25:12 |
| Video |
1.31:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
1.31:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate:
Artificial Eye
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Bitrate:
New Yorker
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| Audio | French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) |
French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) |
| Subtitles | English, (removable) in white | English, (removable) in white |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Artificial Eye Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 16 |
Release Information: Studio: New Yorker Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: April 15, 2003 Chapters 24 |
Recommended Reading in French Cinema (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
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The Films in My Life |
French Cinema: A Student's Guide by Philip Powrie, Keith Reader |
Agnes Varda by Alison Smith | Godard on Godard : Critical Writings by Jean-Luc Godard | Notes on the Cinematographer by Robert Bresson |
Robert Bresson (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs,
No. 2) by James Quandt |
The Art of Cinema by Jean Cocteau |
French New Wave
by Jean Douchet, Robert Bonnono, Cedric Anger, Robert Bononno |
French Cinema: From Its Beginnings to the Present by Remi Fournier Lanzoni |
Truffaut: A Biography by Antoine do Baecque and Serge Toubiana |
Check out more in "The Library"
| Comments |
The New Yorker DVD is again taken from a PAL source and has all those inherent problems of ghosting and artifacts. We can also see that it is slightly cropped on all 4 edges. Although both appear to have a close level of detail, the NY'er has a greenish/sepia dark haze to its image. The Artificial Eye DVD shows some nice film grain and is the far superior visual treat, although both show the same damage marks and obviously come from the same source. Aside from the 2 Vigo shorts included on the Artificial Eye disc, the PAL edition is stacked with other extras (a whole 2nd disc). We recommend the new "The Complete Jean Vigo" from Artificial Eye. - Gary Tooze |
DVD Menus
(Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT
vs. New Yorker - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)
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NOTE: All Screen Captures in Native Resolution!
Subtitle Sample
(Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. New Yorker - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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Screen Captures
(Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. New Yorker - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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(Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. New Yorker - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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(Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. New Yorker - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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(Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. New Yorker - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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(Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL - TOP vs. New Yorker - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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Other shorts on Artificial Eye disc - Taris and Zero de Conduite
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Associated Reading (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
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Metropolis (Bfi Film Classics, 54) by Thomas Elsaesser |
Movie Posters of the Silent Film Era To Color by Rex Schneider, Christopher Buchman |
American Film Cycles: The Silent Era (Bibliographies
and Indexes in the Performing Arts) by Larry Langman |
Family Secrets: The Feature Films of D. W. Griffith by Michael Allen |
The First Female Stars : Women of the Silent Era by David W. Menefee |
Silent Players: A Biographical and Autobiographical
Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses by Anthony Slide |
The Silent Cinema Reader by Lee Grieveson, Peter Kramer |
Silent Stars Speak: Interviews With Twelve Cinema
Pioneers by Tony Villecco |
Haunted Screen Expressionism in the German Cinema by Lotte Eisner |
Report Card:
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Image: |
Artificial Eye |
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Sound: |
tie |
| Extras: | Artificial Eye |
| Menu: |
| DVD Box Covers |
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| Distribution |
Artificial Eye Region 2 - PAL |
New
Yorker Region 1 - NTSC |
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Gary Tooze 1775 Rowntree Court Mississauga, Ontario, L4W 4V3 CANADA |
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Many Thanks...
