{"id":9023,"date":"2009-08-11T13:18:15","date_gmt":"2009-08-11T20:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=9023"},"modified":"2023-10-28T23:24:43","modified_gmt":"2023-10-29T06:24:43","slug":"zero-de-conduite-zero-for-conduct-1933","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=9023","title":{"rendered":"Zero de Conduite \/ Zero for Conduct (1933)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;War is declared! Down with teachers! Up with revolution!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Zero-de-Conduite-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Zero-de-Conduite-Poster-227x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-58745\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Zero-de-Conduite-Poster-227x300.png 227w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Zero-de-Conduite-Poster-776x1024.png 776w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Zero-de-Conduite-Poster-97x128.png 97w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Zero-de-Conduite-Poster-768x1013.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Zero-de-Conduite-Poster-205x270.png 205w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Zero-de-Conduite-Poster.png 839w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 227px) 100vw, 227px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA group of boys (Louis Lefebvre, Gilbert Pruchon, Gerard de Bedarieux, and Constantin Goldstein-Kehler) at a repressive boarding school rebel against their teachers and midget headmaster (Delphin).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Boarding School<\/li>\n<li>French Films<\/li>\n<li>Rebellion<\/li>\n<li>Surrealism<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary notes, this &#8220;remarkably subversive film&#8221; by writer\/director Jean Vigo, which was banned by French censors until after World War II, is &#8220;poetic, surreal, and wildly comical.&#8221; Peary argues that &#8220;it&#8217;s a tribute to the honest spontaneity of children, their creativity, and their anarchical&#8230; spirit that causes them to wage war against the repressive rules of the hypocritical bourgeoisie&#8221;; whether or not one agrees with this broader Marxist reading of the boys&#8217; action, <em>Zero de Conduite<\/em> certainly represents the rebellious spirit most of us wish we were brave enough to express during our own schooling. Indeed, the film managed to strike such a common nerve that it had a tremendous effect on future filmmakers &#8212; including Francois Truffaut and Lindsay Anderson, whose <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3828\"><em>The 400 Blows<\/em> (1959)<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=78562\"><em>If&#8230;<\/em> (1969)<\/a>, respectively, are each unique homages to this earlier film. <\/p>\n<p>At only 41 minutes long, <em>Zero de Conduite<\/em> is more a series of loosely cohesive vignettes than a traditional narrative. Vigo&#8217;s primary concern is with establishing a specific milieu &#8212; a seedy boarding school somewhere in France, where fat old teachers feel free to fondle pretty young boys, the headmaster is a tyrannical midget, his assistant steals food from the boys, and the chef cooks beans for dinner night after night. As the &#8220;story&#8221; progresses, it heads in an increasingly surreal direction &#8212; but unlike Bunuel&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2478\"><em>L&#8217;Age d&#8217;Or<\/em> (1930)<\/a>, for instance, Vigo&#8217;s screenplay only gradually reveals its fantastical turn, in a few delightfully select moments (a teacher&#8217;s drawing comes to animated life; the boys are somehow able to completely upturn a teacher&#8217;s bed while he&#8217;s sleeping). As with his only feature-length film, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=8960\"><em>L&#8217;Atalante<\/em> (1934)<\/a>, Vigo collaborated with cinematographer Boris Kaufman and composer Maurice Jaubert to create a number of provocative images and sequences &#8212; including the infamous &#8220;feather pillow fight&#8221; (watch for a surprising bit of frontal nudity as the boys progress in a slow motion parade afterward &#8212; Vigo was fearless), and the liberating finale. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Vigo&#8217;s surreal screenplay<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/zero-surreal.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/zero-surreal.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"512\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9028\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/zero-surreal-bed.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/zero-surreal-bed.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"512\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9029\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Many memorable images and sequences<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/zero-procession.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/zero-procession.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"512\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9027\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/zero-roof.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/zero-roof.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"512\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9032\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Boris Kaufman&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/zero-imagery-shadow.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/zero-imagery-shadow.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"512\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9026\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Maurice Jaubert&#8217;s score<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as an historically important classic of French cinema. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Controversial Film<\/li>\n<li>Foreign Gem<\/li>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0024803\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2000\/06\/11\/movies\/film-rescuing-a-romantic-epic-from-obscurity.html\">NY Times Review (see first review)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/filmsdefrance.com\/FDF_Zero_de_conduite_rev.html\">FilmsdeFrance.com Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;War is declared! Down with teachers! Up with revolution!&#8221; Synopsis: A group of boys (Louis Lefebvre, Gilbert Pruchon, Gerard de Bedarieux, and Constantin Goldstein-Kehler) at a repressive boarding school rebel against their teachers and midget headmaster (Delphin). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Boarding School French Films Rebellion Surrealism Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: As Peary notes, this &#8220;remarkably subversive film&#8221; by writer\/director Jean Vigo, which was banned by French censors until after World War II, is &#8220;poetic, surreal, and wildly comical.&#8221;&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=9023\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9023"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9023\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92812,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9023\/revisions\/92812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}