Jean Vigo - Zero for Conduct

The PFA combined a showing of Jean Vigo’s shorts “Taris” and “Zero for Conduct” with an accompaniment of live music played. This live music accompaniment was an experiment in which the UC Ambassadorial Jazz Ensemble improvised music and sound effects to the short film about the French champion swimmer Jean Taris in “Taris.” In this short film, Vigo films Taris as he swims and demonstrates the basic forms and movements of each swimming style. As he swims, Vigo utilizes slow motion and close-ups of Taris as he swims, while the Jazz band accompanied with lyrical and comical sound effects. Vigo also manipulates time and motion as he repeatedly shows Taris diving into the pool and in reverse, leaving the water feat first. The flutist highlights this repeated action by playing the same arpeggio forward and backwards. Vigo then ends the film by showing Taris diving in reverse and a quick obstruction or cut shows Taris in clothes, followed by walking on water as he exits into darkness.

The second film, “Zero for Conduct” began just as the student DJ initiated a countdown on his track. Drawing from events of his own life, Vigo honors his anarchist father in this short film in which boarding school children rebel and take over the school. The film follows the comical events of three children opposing the school master and cronies, culminating in the triumphal and memorable pillow fight scene. In this scene, Vigo utilizes an oblique angle shot to create a sense impending chaos and anarchy. Preceding the pillow fight, the children gather in the center of the sleeping hall, raise their skull and cross-bone flag and proceed to march. When told to return to their beds, they disperse and begin the pillow fight, causing mass chaos. The most notable scene shows the children lifting one of the leaders of the rebellion and march down the hall. Vigo utilizes an angled slow motion shot to capture the parading children as feathers fall like confetti in a victory march. His use of slow motion adds to the triumphal march.

Throughout the film, each DJ brought his own unique style and sound. A few DJs provided tracks in sync with the action and sequences of the film, while others provided more background music. DJs transitioned seamlessly in sync with the changing scenes of the film. The live music added an interesting element to the film. The electronic music seemed like it would be an inappropriate accompaniment, but I thought it worked quite well.

-Benjamin Louie