Directed by Jean Vigo and Boris Kaufman • 1930 • France
Jean Vigo was twenty-five when he made this, his debut film, a silent cinematic poem that reveals, through a thrilling and ironic use of montage, the economic reality hidden behind the facade of the Mediterranean resort town of Nice. The first of Vigo’s several collaborations with cinematographer Boris Kaufman (Dziga Vertov’s brother and a future Oscar winner), À PROPOS DE NICE is both a scathing and invigorating look at 1930 French culture.
Up Next in Shorts for Days: Cityscapes
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Daybreak Express
Directed by D. A. Pennebaker • 1953 • United States
Shot in 1953, though not completed until 1957, DAYBREAK EXPRESS was the first film D. A. Pennebaker made, a mad rush of images of New York City captured from a train and edited to the rhythm of Duke Ellington’s song of the same name. A jazz afi...
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Sunday in Peking
Directed by Chris Marker • 1956 • France
A rare, tourist’s-eye glimpse into Maoist China, the first of Chris Marker’s inimitable travelogues is a colorful stroll through the city of Beijing set to the filmmaker’s personal reflections on its people, history, and culture.
