Agnès Varda used the skills she honed early in her career as a photographer to create some of the most nuanced, thought-provoking films of the past fifty years. She is widely believed to have presaged the French new wave with her first film, La Pointe Courte, long before creating one of the movement's benchmarks, Cléo from 5 to 7 (Cléo de 5 à 7). Later, with Le bonheur and Vagabond (Sans toi ni loi), Varda further shook up art-house audiences, challenging bourgeois codes with her inscrutable characters and offering effortlessly beautiful compositions and editing. Now working largely as a documentarian, Varda remains one of the essential cinematic poets of our time and a true visionary.
Box Set: The following DVDs are included in this set:
Remembrances (2005), a documentary on the making of the film, featuring interviews with Varda and actors Corinne Marchand and Antoine Bourseiller
Gallery of paintings by Hans Baldung Grien, whose work inspired the character of Cléo
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
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
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
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
Segment from the 1964 television program Démons et merveilles du cinéma, featuring footage of Varda shooting Le bonheur
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
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