Female Body and Conflict Between the Sexes in L'Atalante by Jean Vigo Essay

Female Body and Conflict Between the Sexes in L'Atalante by Jean Vigo and Les Enfants du Paradis by Marcel Carne - Essay Example The movie plot turns around the life of Juliette and her husband Jena. After marriage Juliette accompanies Jean on his ship; but she is bored of the monotonous life of sailing in the sea. The newly-weds during their travel on the waterways of France halts at Paris. Juliette tries to break free from the monotony by venturing into the nightlife of the city; actually a street peddler in a music club of Paris lures her. She is enamored with vibrant city and her desire to taste the intoxicating pleasures of Paris nightlife angers Jean and he sets sail without her. But grief and a desire for meeting his wife put Jean in a state of depression. Juliette is lost in the world of prostitutes, thieves and beggars; she frantically searches for her husband and the barge. Pere Jules, an aged second mate of the ship makes honest effort to find Juliette and succeeds in happy reunion of the couple. Jean Vigo’s French film is also known as ‘Le chaland qui passà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (The Passing Barge). From the plot it is quite evident that is based on the universal conflict of sexes. Jean feels that Juliette has no right to independent pleasures. The female body of Juliette is his object of desire. The passionate film-maker’s direction and the cast’s riveting performances have made this movie feature in the list of some of the best movies made worldwide. It has the elements of drama, romance, and fun; it is greatly sexual in flavor. The cinematic technique that Jean uses in his movie is visual fantasy alike his feature film titled Zero de Conduite (Zero for Conduct). For this we need to say that Jean Vigo’s camera direction and arrangements could create stunning visual compositions. He conveyed his messages through images; if words were used it was to add fun and humor, so that a comic effect is generated in the movie. The opening sequence of the film shows the couple’s shift from the church aisle to the cargo