Betragen ungenügend

One thing for sure, the film's appropriate for the son of an anarchist, like Vigo. The school's not much better than a prison, and when the kids get into the mess hall (oops! I mean dining room) and start throwing the tiresome beans around, I thought Cagney in White Heat (1949). But then they're being trained for dull conformity into the machinery of French society. But these kids aren't going to give up their joyful high spirits without a struggle—just watch them bounce down the street. They may troop along two-by-two, but underneath there's a lively heartbeat that won't stand for deadening hierarchy as the ending shows.

Okay, the movie's disjointed, so no smooth narrative here, perhaps the result of a myopic editor. Still, the 40-minutes is full of imagination and amusing effects, while the theme shines through in unmistakable fashion. In fact, I particularly liked the general absence of dialog. That way, I didn't get a sore neck bouncing from captions to visuals. All in all, I wish Vigo's little classic had been shown at my military school—we could have used the inspiration.

Yes, this movie is surrealistic alright. Perhaps not as much as for instance a Luis Buñuel movie but it features lots of symbolism and metaphors. You have to like these sort of movies obviously to fully appreciate and enjoy it.

It's of course also a protest to the very strong regime on boarding schools, which makes this movie a social commentary, like often surrealistic-like movies are. It caused Jean Vigo's movies not to be appreciated until after WW II, since prior to that his movies mostly got banned everywhere.

French always had a thing with revolutions, which also plays a central theme within this movie. The movie might feel and look a bit disjointed at times but its always connected through its central themes.

As odd as this movie might seem like at times, it always knows to remain an enjoyable one, with also some good comedy in it at times, as well as some great looking and directed sequences.

An enjoyable little short surrealistic picture from Jean Vigo.

8/10

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I saw this film on a double bill tonight with Jean Vigo's L'Atalante. I love French movies but until now I had seen nothing from this long ago.

It seems to be one hilarious set piece after another, I say hilarious and I really mean that. The children are wonderful but the teachers are all there to be made fun of in any manner of ways. I must say the Head master is brilliant.

Whilst this is only about 40 minutes or so long, it is a fine introduction to the Jean Vigo's full length feature film, L'Atalante.

If you love cinema, you will love Zero for Conduct.

Vigo's first fiction film is one of my favorites classics of all. From the presentation of the characters you can realize that the movie is something special; the kids are just great: they are intelligent, funny and over all, rebel , but with no loss of their candid side. The adults receive a grotesque layer of paint to put the olive to the acid-social humor cocktail. The technical department may be a little under the possibilities of its time, but still Vigo's crew make it by the smart use of simple resources like the dramatical application of animated items or simple edition tricks. The rest must be seen, not told… so get the DVD, forget those fancy details like surround sound (or clear sound) colors or complicated effects and relax for 45 minutes of a simple but rich classic.

Vigo's first (and penultimate) fiction feature is a precocious but messy work that serves notice of the huge talent he possesses while clearly showing that he is still a man learning his trade. The story as such tells of a revolt by schoolboys against their strict masters, but it wanders all over the place and appears either to have suffered at the hands of some inept editor's scissors, or to contain an abundance of nascent ideas that Vigo has chosen – or been forced – to put to screen before they were fully formed. It all makes for a fragmented and episodic structure that nevertheless somehow seems to add to the charm of the piece. Interspersed between these disjointed plot developments are some eerily surreal moments, such as when the midget headmaster straightens his tie in the mirror and his reflection moves away a second or two after him, which ensure that this film, while not the finished article, is never less than fascinating.