À propos de Nice
À propos de Nice is a 25-minute silent short documentary from 1930 made by Jean Vigo and Boris Kaufman. It looks at life in Nice, France, showing both everyday routines and scenes of wealth and leisure—from casinos and the Promenade des Anglais to a carnival and factory work. Vigo said the film puts the city’s way of life on trial, hinting at social inequality and a reaction against escapism.
The project was Vigo’s first film. Suffering from tuberculosis and working as an assistant cameraman, he saved enough money to buy his own Debrie camera. In Paris in 1929, Vigo met Boris and Mikhail Kaufman, and they wrote the script together. They chose not to make a simple travelogue; instead they used strong images and tight editing to contrast the rich and the poor, since they couldn’t shoot inside casinos.
The film opens with aerial shots, then moves to closer images of palm trees, waves, workers, and wealthy people strolling, sailing, and enjoying themselves. It shows racing in the Grand Prix, the shore, and leisure at the shore. It then shifts to poorer neighborhoods with women doing laundry and children playing in the streets, followed by a carnival with masks and dancing. It ends with statues and workers in a factory.
À propos de Nice premiered in 2005 with a new score by Michael Nyman at the Barbican Theatre. The score fit the themes of the film but many felt it did not fully capture its humor.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 08:25 (CET).