After the difficult release of his controversial short film "Zero for Conduct" (1933), Vigo initially wanted to make a film about Eugène Dieudonné, whom Vigo's father (anarchist Miguel Almereyda) had been associated with in 1913. After Vigo and his producer Jacques-Louis Nounez struggled to find the right project for a feature film, Nounez finally gave Vigo an unproduced screenplay by Jean Guinée about barge dwellers. Vigo re-wrote the story with Albert Riéra, while Nounez secured a distribution deal with the Gaumont Film Company with a budget of ₣1 million. Vigo used many of the technicians and actors who worked with him on "Zero for Conduct", such as cinematographer Boris Kaufman and actor Jean Dasté.