Synopsis

Whether you label her early work Left Bank or French New Wave, Varda's role in the evolution of narrative film as an art form is certain. The collection includes four by Anges Varda: Her directorial debut, La Pointe-Courte (1955, 80 mins.), an independent production that prefigured the New Wave by three years. As edited by Alain Resnais, the film transitions between scenes of everyday life in a small fishing village and the intense breakup and reconciliation of a young married couple; Varda''s second feature, Cleo from 5 to 7 (1961), is 90 minutes--exactly--in the life of a singer (Corinne Marchand) as she waits for the results of a cancer test, then meets a young soldier about to leave for the Algerian war; Daring to explore the nature of relationships from a woman''s point of view, Le Bonheur (1965, 87 mins. ) is an elegant and controversial film about a happily married carpenter (Jean-Claude Drouot) who wants his wife to accept that he can love his mistress all the same; Lastly, Vagabond (1985, 105 mins.) is the director''s extraordinarily bleak account of a young woman''s death and life. In the opening scene, Mona''s (Sandrine Bonnaire) body is discovered frozen. Va rda expertly retraces her life while dissecting French society. In French with Agnes Varda---France---1955-1985---362 mins. **Three separate rentals***

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Cast & Crew

Directors: Agnes Varda

Actors:

Technical

Language & Sound: French w/ EST

Release Date: Jan 15, 2008

Features: 4-DVD Criterion Collection edition. Letterboxed (1.66:1). Newly restored digital transfers, supervised and approved by Varda. Includes three short films by Varda, a new video interview with Varda on La Pointe Courte and an archival episode from Cineastes de notre temps, a 2005 doc on the making of Cleo from 5 to 7, a short film with Varda retracing Cleo's steps and a 1993 film with Varda speaking with Madonna about Cleo, interviews with three actors from Le Bonheur, a 2006 discussion with scholars about the film and interviews with Varda, a 2003 doc on the making of Vagabond, theatrical trailers, new and improved English subtitles, and a booklet with new essays by Chris Darke, Adrian Martin, Amy Taubin and Ginette Vincendeau, as well as a foreword to each film by Varda herself.