L'hirondelle et la mésange

On the canals in the north of France and in Belgium,Pierre has got two barges.He is helped by his wife Marthe and his sister-in-law,Griet.

Deemed "not commercial enough" ,"L'Hirondelle et la Mésange" was indefinitely shelved and never released .It was 1982 before Henri Colpi ("Une Aussi Longue Absence" ) edited the negatives ;they added music which is splendid :the accordion sometimes sounds like an organ.

It is sure easy to see the reason why the film was never theatrically released.It's almost a documentary,with a plot kept to the minimum.However,the pictures are splendid ,sometimes worthy of a Jacques Brel song (such as "le Plat Pays"),taking us to Belgian ancient magnificent towns..Entirely shot on location,it was a movie ahead of its time.

The plot is minimal,and the story line really happens only in the last third. Paul's desire is filmed in a disturbing way:it includes voyeurism,fetishism (the bandages),rape attempt.It's a far cry from a romantic love affair on the quiet waters of a canal.And ,it's the last straw (and probably one of the reasons the producers decided to leave it in the cans),the ending is thoroughly immoral!

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"L'Atalante "aka "Le Chaland qui Passe" Jean Vigo 1933-34