Zero de Conduite

(Jean Vigo, 1933)

IMDB

This title, that was banned in the UK until the 1970's, follows the lives of pupils at an all boys school who see their place of education as a dull, prison-like place. In this strict and regimented environment, the boys find several ways of rebelling against the school, along with the encouragement of new teacher, Huguet.

From the outset we witness the boys as rebellious, smoking cigars in the non-smoking carriage of the train in between showing each other their pranks and jokes. The dormitory of the school is a long, sterile room, resembling that of a hospital ward, with one curtain-enclosed area, in which a teacher sleeps. The narrow room is lined on each side, with a row of metal beds. In another classic act of rebellion, we witness the boys collected together, smoking in the toilets.

The teacher, Huguet, displays a similar view to the regimented environment and so acts, on numerous occasions, in a less than exemplary way. He steals possessions from the children whilst they are at break and then conducts his lessons through a visual chaos, in which the boys are scattered around the classroom. Some boys at desks, others on the desks, and others on shelves! The teacher is powerless amongst these boys, who display behaviour similar to that of wild animals. He also tries to outdo the boys' attempts at impressing each other by performing a handstand in the classroom, only with the use of clever filming, it appears he is stood on one hand, whilst using the other to draw! In another performance of editing “trickery”, one boy shows another a trick in which a ball disappears from his hand.

In a visual comparison to their lives at school, the kids home lives are dull and the impression is created that they'd rather be causing chaos, as they spend their time plotting revenge against the school's principal.

As well as this film being an obvious example of rebellion against a wider culture, an idea that was not to be be promoted at it's time of release (considering that this was the year the Nazis came to power), it also features the issue of homosexuality, by featuring an over-friendly relationship between two boys, one who appears to be very feminine, as he is favoured by another teacher who strokes the boys hair and tends to treat him very much like a girl. Again, homosexuality was outlawed in the UK until 1967, so this film succeeded in causing wide offence!

In a timeless scene, in which Vigo really plays with imagery, slow motion is used more effectively, I think, than almost any other film to date. We see a boy back-flip onto a chair, amongst the rest of the boys gathering in the dormitory, proceeding ahead like soldiers to war. Slow motion intensifies the determined efforts of these boys, about to fight their “dictators”, as they walk into a headwind of pillow feathers, holding their hand-made weapons proud. The scene is quasi-religious too, as the crowd carries a boy above their heads, on a chair. Also, they tie their sleeping teacher to his bed, displaying him upright, in a position that resembles Christ on the cross.

In the final scene, and in the boys' final push for freedom, they manage to escape by bunny hopping across the roof tops of Paris, only after causing more chaos and embarrassment to those trying to conduct order. Huguet, predictably the whole time, laughing along with the boys' antics! At no point in this film do you have any doubt that the audience are meant to be on any side but the boys', it suggests no respect towards order and heavy ruling, whilst remaining whimsical in a time when the world was still dealing with the effects of the 1931 depression.