Synopsis
"Vigo--Passion for Life" is a tragic but inspiring love story based loosely on the intense and passionate relationship between the young filmmaker Jean Vigo and his wife Lydu. Set in the early 1930s, Jean and Lydu meet at a tuberculosis sanatorium in the Pyrenees. They fall in love with each other and marry despite the opposition of their doctors. Their love enables them to confront their illness, live for the moment, challenge the odds and embrace life in the face of great adversity. A co-production of Channel Four Films of Britain and Amuse Inc. of Japan, this film shows the real life story of Jean Vigo who directed "Zero for Conduct" and "L'Atalante." He was regarded as a poet born from the French film society and greatly influenced the New Wave directors. Vigo led a poverty-stricken life and was an object of scorn among the mediocrity. As described in this movie, his works were not shown for being too radical and experimental. Few producers listened to what the eccentric director said. This film persuasively depicts the intellectual society of France, interrelating Vigo's life story with the dignified intellectualism of the times. The film becomes most powerful when its scenes include works of Vigo done in the 1930s. Particularly appealing are the dreamy scene from "Zero for Conduct" in which the boys fight with their pillows and the underwater scenes from "L'Atalante." What Mrs. Vigo says summarizes the life of the condemned artist: Cinema is a life itself." (Ui-chan Kim)