Zero for Conduct

Tabard played by Gérard de Bédarieux in Jean Vigo's film of 1933,  Zero for Conduct

When I finished reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret,  I was reminded of a film I saw years ago called Zero for Conduct by Jean Vigo. It was made in 1933, and I believe one character in the Hugo book, the film historian René Tabard may be named for the above rebellious boy from the film whose name is Tabard.  And, this is just a guess, I think Tabard in the film may be an autobiographical representation of the filmmaker Jean Vigo, himself. 

Did you follow that? Anyway, I decided to watch it again, and it's a wonderful film. I love the look of it, the way it's lit, the rhythm of it. It's refreshing to watch something this good that is not filled with the spectacular and way over the top visuals of today's flicks. I will say though... we took in Martin Scorsese's Hugo today, and it's a fantastic movie. One that finally uses 3-D technology effectively, and not just as some kind of  gimmick in order to charge a higher ticket price. And Scorsese appears briefly as a photographer. I love that! Didn't he make a similar appearance as a photographer in his wonderful film, The Age of Innocence, too?

If you have about 40 minutes or so, watch this Vigo film, it's a masterpiece, here. And you might also check out his other film, L'Atalante, which can be found in several parts on You Tube, here's a good place to start it. 

Nothing like the last week of the year to catch up on the movies, both new and old.