This enduring classic of French cinema from the ‘grandmother of the new wave’ stars Corinne Marchand as the eponymous heroine, a singer who whiles away a couple of hours in the cafés, shops and streets of Paris awaiting the results of medical tests. Featuring a memorable score by Oscar-nominated composer Michel Legrand, and cameos by Legrand, Jean-Luc Godard, and Anna Karina, the film is a spirited mix of vivid vérité and melodrama, and paints a beguiling and stylish portrait of the French capital at the height of the sixties.
We pretend that works of art, or even artists, are immortal; death is apt to be sentimentalised or paraphrased by violence (i.e., reduced to a merely social problem). ... more >
We pretend that works of art, or even artists, are immortal; death is apt to be sentimentalised or paraphrased by violence (i.e., reduced to a merely social problem). Agnès Varda has taken up the challenge, restored death to its actual place at the hub of our lives, without falsifying the 'remoteness' with which we apprehend it. < less
"Cleo from 5 to 7, Agnes Varda" -
Asher Cowan on 26th December 2011
gnes Varda's experimental film Cleo from 5 to 7, brings us into two hours of a pop singer Cleo's (Corinne Marchand) life, who is awaiting the results of her test for c... more >
gnes Varda's experimental film Cleo from 5 to 7, brings us into two hours of a pop singer Cleo's (Corinne Marchand) life, who is awaiting the results of her test for cancer. During this time she meets a variety of different people, her emotions changing rapidly, depending on the time, place and characters.
This film is an interesting study of a woman's plea for help from those who are close to her. When there is no answer, she walks around the streets, exchanging her doll like appearance for a more mature look and eventually finds a response from a stranger who is just a few days away from going to war.
The film is in black and white, except for the opening scene. It shows a selection of fortune tellers cards which are being sorted. As the camera moves away, towards the psychics face, the screen changes from vivid colour to black and white, which it remains during the rest of the film. This shows how strongly Cleo believes in her superstitions and how she looks at the rest of the world in a completely different light.
Very stylish, with a excellent script and mesmerizing cinematography, Agnes Varda's masterpiece is a work of art, a true French New Wave classic and a fascinating exploration into 60's Paris. < less
