Michel Simon, who steals the show in Jean Vigo’s 1934 masterpiece L’Atalante, was a soft-faced, gravelly voiced clown capable of tremendous pathos – and total chaosJean Vigo’s L’Atalante, his poetic and surreal 1934 romance about a young couple living on a canal barge, is one of the most beautiful, sensual films of all time. Dita Parlo and Jean Dasté play the newlyweds getting awkwardly accustomed to married life in close quarters, and their love story shapes the film. But it’s their bargemate, the uncouth Père Jules, played by Michel Simon, who steals the show: a well-travelled sailor speckled with tattoos, standing guard over a cabinet of risque and macabre curiosities, whose cabin teems with cats every bit as unruly as he is.The Swiss actor Michel Simon was one of the most distinctive presences in 20th-century French cinema: a soft-faced, gravelly voiced clown capable of tremendous pathos, and true chaos. Charlie Chaplin called him “the greatest actor in the world”. He worked with the best European directors on some timeless films. As well as acting for Vigo, he played the timid man transformed by his affair with a sex worker in La Chienne (1931) and the incorrigible tramp in Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932) for Jean Renoir. He worked with Marcel Carné in films such as Le Quai des Brumes (1938), with Carl Theodor Dreyer in The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), with René Clair, Marcel L’Herbier, Julien Duvivier, GW Pabst … even John Frankenheimer in The Train (1964). “When Michel Simon plays a part,” said Truffaut, “we penetrate the core of the human heart.” He spent five decades working in the cinema, starting out in the silents, and received his highest accolade, the Berlinale’s Best Actor award in 1967, for his role as an antisemitic peasant befriending a young Jewish boy during the war in The Two of Us (Claude Berri). Reviewing that movie, Renata Adler called Simon “an enormous old genius … the general impression is that of an immense, thoughtful, warm-hearted and aquatic geological formation”. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/24/michel-simon-latalante-jean-vigo">Continue reading...</a>

يُحتفى بميشيل سيمون، المعروف بدوره كـ Père Jules في فيلم L’Atalante لجين فيغو عام 1934، لقدرته الفريدة على دمج الحزن والفوضى، حيث وصفه تشارلي شابلن بأنه 'أعظم ممثل في العالم.' تبرز أداؤه في هذه الرومانسية الشعرية تعقيدات الحب والحياة على متن بارجة، مما يُظهر حضوره المميز في السينما الفرنسية في القرن العشرين.

Michel Simon, conocido por su papel como Père Jules en la película L’Atalante de Jean Vigo de 1934, es celebrado por su singular combinación de patetismo y caos, recibiendo elogios de Charlie Chaplin como 'el mayor actor del mundo.' Su actuación en este romance poético destaca las complejidades del amor y la vida a bordo de una barcaza, mostrando su presencia distintiva en el cine francés del siglo XX.

Michel Simon, célèbre pour son rôle de Père Jules dans le film L’Atalante de Jean Vigo en 1934, est reconnu pour son mélange unique de pathos et de chaos, recevant les éloges de Charlie Chaplin qui l'a qualifié de 'plus grand acteur du monde.' Sa performance dans cette romance poétique met en lumière les complexités de l'amour et de la vie à bord d'une péniche, soulignant sa présence distinctive dans le cinéma français du XXe siècle.

Michel Simon, renowned for his role as Père Jules in Jean Vigo’s 1934 film L’Atalante, is celebrated for his unique blend of pathos and chaos, earning praise from Charlie Chaplin as 'the greatest actor in the world.' His performance in this poetic romance highlights the complexities of love and life aboard a canal barge, showcasing his distinctive presence in 20th-century French cinema.

Monkey soulmates and extraordinary talent: the man Charlie Chaplin called ‘the greatest actor in the world’

AI may be accelerating across the film world, but it won’t replace the craft, collaboration and human unpredictability that define cinema — that was the message from Berlinale chief Tricia Tuttle and International Film Festival of India (IFFI) director Shekhar Kapur, who warned that the technology will reshape workflows long before it matches artistic intuition. [&#8230;]

في مهرجان الهند الدولي للسينما، أعرب شيخار كابور ورئيسة برلينالي، تريشيا تاتل، عن قلقهما بشأن تأثير الذكاء الاصطناعي على صناعة السينما، مؤكدين أنه على الرغم من تقدم الذكاء الاصطناعي، إلا أنه لا يمكنه تكرار الفن وعدم القدرة على التنبؤ الذي يميز صناعة الأفلام. وأبرزوا الحاجة إلى الحذر مع تطور التكنولوجيا، مما قد يعطل سير العمل التقليدي قبل أن يصل إلى مستوى الإبداع الذي يضاهي الحدس البشري.

En el Festival Internacional de Cine de la India, Shekhar Kapur y la jefa de Berlinale, Tricia Tuttle, expresaron su preocupación por el impacto de la inteligencia artificial en la industria cinematográfica, enfatizando que, aunque la IA está avanzando, no puede replicar el arte y la imprevisibilidad inherentes a la realización de películas. Destacaron la necesidad de precaución a medida que la tecnología evoluciona, lo que podría interrumpir los flujos de trabajo tradicionales antes de alcanzar una paridad creativa con la intuición humana.

Lors du Festival international du film de l'Inde, Shekhar Kapur et la responsable de Berlinale, Tricia Tuttle, ont exprimé leurs inquiétudes concernant l'impact de l'intelligence artificielle sur l'industrie cinématographique, soulignant que bien que l'IA progresse, elle ne peut pas reproduire l'art et l'imprévisibilité inhérents à la réalisation de films. Ils ont insisté sur la nécessité de la prudence alors que la technologie évolue, perturbant potentiellement les flux de travail traditionnels avant d'atteindre une parité créative avec l'intuition humaine.

At the International Film Festival of India, Shekhar Kapur and Berlinale chief Tricia Tuttle expressed concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence on the film industry, emphasizing that while AI is advancing, it cannot replicate the artistry and unpredictability inherent in filmmaking. They highlighted the need for caution as the technology evolves, potentially disrupting traditional workflows before achieving creative parity with human intuition.

Shekhar Kapur, Berlinale Chief Tricia Tuttle Warn of Creative and Operational Turbulence in AI Era at International Film Festival of India: ‘There’s Always a Phase of Overexcitement’

Monkey soulmates and extraordinary talent: the man Charlie Chaplin called ‘the greatest actor in the world’

Was this article worth reading? Share it