October 2 & 8 | A heartbreaking inclusion in this series, Vigo—who passed away due to complications from tuberculosis at age 29—immeasurably influenced both the poetic realism and French New Wave movements. A pioneering and political artist (his short film ZERO FOR CONDUCT was deemed “anti-French” and banned by Parisian authorities), Vigo employed new techniques to tell a story, including an inspired “underwater” sequence that elevate L’ATALANTE’S relatively simple plot about the stormy start to a young couple’s marriage to lyrical and dreamily erotic heights. Regularly included in Sight & Sound’s Greatest Films of All Time poll (coming in 34th in 2022), Vigo’s only feature-length film was called “one of the supreme achievements in the history of cinema” by Jonathan Rosenbaum, and is impossible to watch without mourning the tragically short life of Vigo, whose entire filmography can be watched in fewer than three hours.

One and Done Series: In One and Done we consider the work of gifted filmmakers who, for myriad reasons, never directed another feature film again, and invite audiences to appreciate the rarity while imagining what might have been. View full series.

The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu