L’Atalante (The Passing Barge)

Jean is the young captain of a canal barge named L’Atalante and has just married a wonderful girl named Juliette. The two board the L’Atalante on the day of their wedding to deliver cargo to Paris and share a honeymoon on the sea. This sounds like the young couple has found their happily ever after, but it is not so. They encounter little problems and disagreements that slowly add until their relationship is rife with tension. It is when they reach Paris that things come to a head between the two and they both make decisions that they immediately regret. The Passing Barge is an honest look at young love and the many trials it faces. It is a film made up of happy and sad moments that paint a picture of what it means to live with someone for the rest of your life.

Production

Directed by Jean Vigo

Produced by Jacques-Louis Nounez

Written by Jean Vigo, Albert Riéra

Starring Michel Simon, Dita Parlo, Jean Dasté

Cinematography by Boris Kaufman

Edited by Louis Chavance

Production company: Argui-Films

Distribution & Stats

Distributed by Gaumont Film Company

Release date: 12 September 1934

Running time: 89 minutes

Country: France

Language: French

Budget: 1 million Francs