À Propos de Nice (1930)
Done in the documentary style of a travelogue, Vigo's debut short film showcases the divide between the upper and lower classes in society, a theme revisited in Zero for Conduct. Vigo's cinematographer on the film, Boris Kaufman, would go on to do all of Vigo's films, as well as great American movies such as On the Waterfront and 12 Angry Men.
Beginning with what I can only describe as an adorable commercial to come visit Nice, France, there's a fun bit done with toy people that then transitions into fascinating footage of what France was like in 1930. The men are in suits, the women are in dresses, and these wealthy individuals are all positively bored stiff. Lots of sleeping in public, not very much fun.
Then there are some nice surreal bits, such as the woman pictured above who crossfades into several different kinds of outfits before eventually just settling for being nude, which is what transitions us to the lower class individuals. Here we have lots of flapper girls and a wacky parade with all sorts of bizarre, big-headed costumes. There's also litter and people on the streets. Not as much fun.
Vigo himself said of the film that it highlights "the last gasps of a society so lost in its escapism that it sickens you and makes you sympathetic to a revolutionary solution." Calling for revolution at the very start of his career. Bold move, Jean.
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