Varda’s third feature after La Pointe Courte, Cleo From 5 to 7– she goes a resounding 3 for 3 here- one of the most promising starts to any career
Gorgeous 35mm color photography (her first in color)- she fills her frames color, floral décor
Uses 3 dp’s, 2 editors
Stunning sunflower shot opening credit sequence
Mozart perfectly fits—starts with an idyllic “Day in the Country”- Renoir-like Father’s day—hokey– this is a damning criticism of a male-centric world
So stylistically and formally well-done—fading to colors in editing- beautiful
Patterned dresses, primary color’s galore—colored trucks passing in the frames, over the top advertising part of her complex mise-en-scene— it’s Demy (in the same period as him) or Contempt from Godard. Same year as Pierrot from him and Juliet of the Spirits from Fellini– fantastic experimentation in color—
The foliage drapes the frames
The husband is a smiling devil (nice, patient, annoyingly self-centered—those nature metaphors crack me up)—mimics the husband on television in a great critical shot society
Varda is throwing 100mph—making choices stylistically- she oscillates the camera between the tree as her protagonist is dancing with wife and then alternately with girlfriend
Beautiful montage of still frame photographs shaping the body with the blonde in bed
A triumph of editing and mise-en-scene/color
Repeat edit 5X upon her death in a nice sequence
79 minutes
Couldn’t find the still but a great shot of the blonde in a purple robe, purple flowers, reading purple books
Far from the touches of neo-realism in La Pointe Courte, parts of Cleo– and Vagabond to follow in 1985 which is Varda’s most neo-realistic and frankly least beautiful film
Haunting final shot of the new family, dressed the same like out of an advertisement, going into the forest— fade to yellow
Recently saw it and i have a wild thought (sorry i can’t recall the names of actors) that what it “the mistress” and “the wife” was played by the same actress. It would’ve been genius, right.
[…] Le Bonheur – Varda […]
Recently saw it and i have a wild thought (sorry i can’t recall the names of actors) that what it “the mistress” and “the wife” was played by the same actress. It would’ve been genius, right.