Search - 4 by Agnès Varda (La Pointe Courte, Cléo from 5 to 7, Le bonheur, Vagabond) - (The Criterion Collection) on DVD


4 by Agnès Varda (La Pointe Courte, Cléo from 5 to 7, Le bonheur, Vagabond) -  (The Criterion Collection)
4 by Agns Varda
La Pointe Courte, Cléo from 5 to 7, Le bonheur, Vagabond
Director: Agnès Varda
Genres: Indie & Art House, Comedy, Drama, Music Video & Concerts
UR     2008     5hr 45min

Studio: Image Entertainment Release Date: 01/22/2008

     
2

Larger Image

Movie Details

Director: Agnès Varda
Genres: Indie & Art House, Comedy, Drama, Music Video & Concerts
Sub-Genres: Indie & Art House, Comedy, Drama, Music Video & Concerts
Studio: Criterion Collection
Format: DVD - Black and White,Color - Subtitled
DVD Release Date: 01/22/2008
Release Year: 2008
Run Time: 5hr 45min
Screens: Black and White,Color
Number of Discs: 4
SwapaDVD Credits: 4
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 8
Edition: Box set,Criterion Collection
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Languages: French
Subtitles: English

Similar Movies

The Gleaners and I
Director: Agnès Varda
?
   UR   2002   2hr 22min
 

Movie Reviews

The artistic genius of Agnès Varda.
G. Merritt | Boulder, CO | 12/18/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"French film director Agnès Varda is known for her experimental style in film, photography and art, and for her exploration of feminist and social issues in her films. She has been called a "cinematic poet" and a "visionary." The four films included in this collection include:

1. La Pointe Courte
In her first film (considered one of the progenitors of French New Wave), La Pointe Courte (1956), Varda explores the disintegration of a relationship between a married couple (Silvia Monfort and Philippe Noiret). The Criterion edition of a Pointe Courte includes a newly restored high-definition digital transfer, a new video interview with director Agnès Varda, excerpts from a 1964 episode of the French television series Cinéastes de notre temps, in which Varda discusses her early career, and new and improved English subtitle translation.

2. Cléo de 5 à 7. (Cléo from 5 to 7).
In Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962), Varda confronts themes of existentialism, mortality, despair, and what it means to live a meaningful life. Her film follows two hours (in real-time) in the life of a young pop singer (Corinne Marchand) as she waits to obtain biopsy results from her doctor at 7 o'clock. Before her doctor's appointment, Cléo meets with several friends and strangers in 1960s Paris, while at the same time contemplating her mortality. The film features a score by Michel Legrand (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) and cameos appearances by Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina. The Criterion edition of this film features a newly restored digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Agnès Varda, "Remembrances" (2005), a documentary on the making of the film, featuring interviews with Varda and actors Corinne Marchand and Antoine Bourseiller, a gallery of paintings by Hans Baldung Grien, whose work inspired the character of Cléo, an excerpt from a 1993 French television program featuring Madonna and Varda talking about the film, "Cléo's Real Path Through Paris" (2005), a short film retracing, on a motorcycle, Cléo's steps through Paris, "Les fiancés du pont Macdonald" (1961), a short film directed by Varda, featuring some of her new wave colleagues, with Varda explaining why the film was featured in Cléo, "L'opéra Mouffe" (1958), an early short by Varda, with a score by Georges Delerue, the theatrical trailer, new and improved English subtitle translation, and a new essay by Adrian Martin and a written introduction by Agnès Varda.

3. Le bonheur (Happiness).
In Le bonheur (1965), Varda confronts issues of fidelity and happiness in a modern, self-centered world. The film tells the story of a young husband François (Jean-Claude Drouot) who embarks on an affair with an attractive postal worker, despite the fact that he is married to the beautiful Thérèse (Claire Drouot). The Criterion edition of this film features a newly restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Agnès Varda, "The Two Women of 'Le bonheur'" (2006), a short piece featuring actors Claire Drouot and Marie-France Boyer, thoughts on "Le bonheur" (2006), a discussion between four scholars and intellectuals discussing the concept of happiness and its relation to the film, two short pieces by Varda investigating people's idea of happiness, "Jean-Claude Drouot Returns" (2006), a featurette in which the actor revisits the film's setting forty years later, a segment from the 1964 television program Démons et merveilles du cinéma, featuring footage of Varda shooting Le bonheur, an interview with Varda from 1998 about Le bonheur, "Du Côté de la côte" (1958), a short film by Varda exploring the tourist destination of the Côte d'Azur, the theatrical trailer, and new and improved English subtitle translation.

4. Sans toit ni loi (Vagabond)
In the best film in the collection, Vagabond (1985), Varda chronicles the life of a young, enigmatic drifter Mona (Sandrine Bonnaire), found frozen to death in a ditch at the beginning of the film. From this image, the film goes backwards in time to depict Mona's transition from an office worker to her life of a wandering vagabond, free from any responsibility. The original French title, "Sans toit ni loi," translates as "without roof or law." The Criterion edition of Vagabond includes a newly restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Agnes Varda, "Remembrances" (2003), a documentary on the making of the film, including interviews with Sandrine Bonnaire and other cast members, "The Story of an Old Lady" (2003), a short piece in which Varda revisits actress Marthe Jarnias, who plays the old aunt in the film, "Music and Dolly Shots," (2003), a conversation between Varda and composer Joanna Bruzdowicz, a 1986 radio interview with Varda and writer Nathalie Sarraute, who inspired the film, the theatrical trailer, new and improved English subtitle translation, and a new essay by Chris Darke and written introduction by Agnes Varda.

G. Merritt"
Two new Criterion DVD's, two rereleases
Ted | Pennsylvania, USA | 03/09/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 4 disc box set by Criterion contains four movies by Agnès Varda.

La Pointe Courte, Cleo from 5 to 7, Le bonheur, and Vagabond. Cléo from 5 to 7 and vagabond are releleases and I have already written reviews for those when they were released separately, I will be more brief on the reviews.

La Pointe Courte is Varda's first film and is about a couple in coastal southern France experiencing marital woes. The film is thought to have inspired the new wave movement in French cinema and is one of her most popular films. The special features are an interview with Agnès Varda and scenes from a 1964 French television appearance by Varda.

Cléo from 5 to 7 is about a young woman who strolls around Paris for two hours while she awaits the results of a biopsy. The film was way ahead of its time for it being in real-time just like the television series 24 or the film "Phone Booth."
The special features are a theatrical trailer, a 2005 documentary on the film's production titled "Remembrances" It focuses on continuity isues for the real-time sequence fo the film including the clocks which are seen various times in the film, a slide show of Hans Baldung paintings which inspired the title character of the film, a 1993 television special featuring Agnès Varda and Madonna, a short retracing Cléo's trip through Paris on motorcycle, the 1961 short by Varda titled "Les fiancés du pont Macdonald" which was featured in the film, and Varda's short film "L'opéra Mouffe".

Le bonheur (French for "Happiness") is about a young couple with two children. The wife travels often and while she is away her husband has an affair with a postal clerk.
The special features are a theatrical trailer, a look at the two main actresses in the film, a talk between four film scholars about the film, two short films where Varda asks random people their definition of happiness, a retrospective on the film featuring lead actor Jean-Claude Drouot, scenes from an archival television program featuring Varda shooting the film, a 1988 interview with Varda, and a documentary by Varda about the Côte d'Azur.

Vagabond released in France as "Sans toit ni loi" is about a homeless woman who is found dead at the beginning of the film and is a flashback look at the last days of her life.
The special features are a theatrical trailer, a docomentary on the film's production, a look at the actress Marthe Jarnias, who plays the old lady in the film, a conversation between Varda and the film's composer, Joanna Bruzdowicz, and a 1986 radio interview with Varda and writer, Nathalie Sarraute.

This is a great release and the films are all excellent."
Fantastic box
MarkusG | Stockholm, Sweden | 06/21/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"If You like Varda, or the french new wave, or french film, then this box is well worth buying. My favourite films of the four are Cleo and Le Bonheur. Lots of extra material, and the box is well designed."