One Paragraph Movie Review: L’Atalante

Two hundred and ninety-eighth film: L’Atalante, or ‘The Passing Barge’ in English, a French film from 1934 that needn’t take up too much space in my head for too long. More interesting than you think a movie about a small town girl who marries a barge captain and then gets tired of barge life is going to be, it’s still a film I feel like I ticked off rather than enjoyed. It’s saved by Pere Jules, the crabby old ship’s mate who entertains himself with amateur mechanics, simulated wresling, caring for the barge’s multiple cats, and the occasional Parisian fortune teller. A bickering couple just isn’t as interesting as a three-dimensional character, even if they do maintain a flimsy story thread about opening your eyes underwater to see the person you love. But the kitty-cats listen to the gramophone! Adorable. Two moth-eaten mechanical orchestra-conducting mannequins out of five.