In this workshop, I will build on my essay, "The Anima in Film," to show how the Jungian concept of anima applies to the understanding of the classic French film, L'Atalante (The Atalanta) (1934), which the legendary director, Jean Vigo, composed in a race toward his own death.

This fevered, unforgettable movie traces the early struggles of a French canal boat captain and his village bride to survive both the crisis and the necessity of their bonding. As the film unfolds, it becomes clear that though the anima is an archetype of life that can explain the power of love to men, it is just as much an autonomous expression of the enlivening and even immortal aspect of the soul for women as well. 

Participants are encouraged, but not required, to watch this 88-minute film in advance of the program. It is available for streaming on Amazon and available for purchase from the Criterion Collection.  It is also offered for free on YouTube.  Here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYYjXTiK-R4&t=10s

My essay is included in Confronting Death, edited by Luis Moris and Murray Stein.

If you wish to have a copy of the book, it is available here:

https://www.chironpublications.com/shop/confronting-death/

https://a.co/d/bMcNO66

John Beebe is a Jungian analyst and past president of the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco. In teaching and writing, he has often used psychological type and archetype to explore developments in the cultural and political unconscious. His books include Integrity in Depth and Energies and Patterns in Psychological Type. He also co-authored The Presence of the Feminine in Film with Virginia Apperson.