Title: Zero for conduct /
Authors: Vigo, Jean, 1905-1934,; Beauvais, Henri,; Kaufman, Boris; Daste, Jean, 1904-1994,; Le Flon, Robert,; Amos Vogel Annenberg School of Communications Collection (Harvard Film Archive)
Publisher: Brandon International Films,
Year: 1965
Subjects: Boarding schools France.; School children France Drama.; Teachers.; Teacher-student relationships.; Youth France
Abstract: The French visionary filmmaker Jean Vigo was the son of anarchist Eugene Bonaventure de Vigo, and his father's influence can be felt in all of his work. Vigo made four films in his short life; his third film, Zero For Conduct was banned by French censors until 1945 because it was considered to be "anti-France". Zero for Conduct is an anti authoritarian, and subversive portrayal of life in a French boarding school, an environment that Jean Vigo knew well from his own experience. The film depicts the school's instructors as pedants who prize regulations above all else, actual learning is less important than the stultifying pomp and tradition of the school. The students eventually revolt against this mindless monotony leading to a pillow fight that is still one of the most magical sequences of the cinema. Although the film was banned for many years, it became one of the inspirations for the French New Wave. Zero For Conduct's slow motion footage alternating with quick cuts and fast action inspired many of the editing techniques employed by directors Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut. "The Establishment as seen by rebellious school boys and an anarchist filmmaker; the head master an odious midget. State and army as pompous buffoons, and behind them the true reality; grinning ominous monster puppets. In its perfect fusion of form and content, this film remains a masterpiece of subversion." Amos Vogel