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4 by Agnès Varda
La Pointe-courte (1956) Cléo de 5 à 7 (1961)
The Blu-ray of Cleo from 5 to 7 is reviewed HERE
Le Bonheur (1965) Sans toit ni loi
aka Vagabond (1985)
Blu-ray of Vagabond is compared HERE
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. |
Titles
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La Pointe Courte
Cléo from 5 to 7
Le bonheur |
Posters
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Theatrical Releases: 1956 - 1985
DVD Review: Criterion Collection (4-disc) - Region 1 - NTSC
DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from:
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Distribution | Criterion Collection Spine # 418 - Region 1 - NTSC | |
Time: | Respectively - 1:20:30, 1:29:45, 1:20:00 and 1:45:44 | |
Bitrate: La Pointe Courte |
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Bitrate: Cleo From 5 to 7 |
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Bitrate: La Bonheur |
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Bitrate: Vagabond |
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Audio | French (original mono) | |
Subtitles | English, None | |
Features |
Release Information: Edition Details:
Extras on La Pointe-courte: • Interview with Varda from 1998 about Le bonheur (3:00)
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The Two Women of "Le bonheur" (2006), a short
piece featuring actors Claire Drouot and Marie-France Boyer (6:10) • a 60 page liner notes book with essays, photos and cast credits
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Comments: |
NOTE: The 4 main features of this boxset are housed in individual Slip cases (see image above) they are not sold separately at this time. These particular new Criterion editions can only be obtained in the 4 By Agnès Varda package at present. All four DVDs are dual-layered and progressive. They each have substantial supplements which I will touch upon below (I'm not going to cover all of them - too many!). Each are coded for Region 1 in the NTSC standard. The transfers are in their original aspect ratios. The audio for all is original mono French and there are optional English subtitles. La Pointe-courte is pictureboxed transferred (see our full description of 'pictureboxing' in our Kind Hearts and Coronets review). All 4 releases come with new restored high-definition digital transfers, supervised and approved by director Agnès Varda. Criterion have previously released both Cléo de 5 à 7 (as spine #73) and Vagabond (spine #74) although both editions were at Criterion's lowest scale of DVD production - Cleo was single-layered, interlaced and had no extras. Vagabond was not anamorphic and had no extras save some short liner notes. Both have improved extensively and we have compared a few captures below. I'll comment on each transfer individually:
La Pointe-courte (1956) - looks fabulous. The print used was very
clean and detail is magnificent considering the age of the film (52
years old!).
Contrast is at Criterion's hallmark levels but as we have mentioned
before - it is is pictureboxed transferred.
As with all these releases they have excellent subtitle translation and
audio was very clear on this DVD.
Cléo de 5 à 7 (1961) - Certainly superior to Criterion's first
release of this film on DVD. It has improved clarity (it is now 16X9
enhanced), as well as a different, presumably more accurate, subtitle
translation. It is slightly darker and shows less damage marks (I now
suspect the original to have some slight contrast boosting). The new
Criterion shows more information in the frame. I didn't notice any
improvement in audio, but that doesn't mean it isn't better. I noted
some hiss now and again but nothing untoward.
Le Bonheur (1965) - looks fairly weak at times - there is a lot
of digital noise (perhaps replacing grain) but colors look very good and
although there are some blemishes and dirt, detail is fairly strong in close-ups.
I suspect this may be as good as this film will look on DVD barring a
full restoration (which may never come). the film reminded me somewhat
of Eric Rohmer's work.
Vagabond (1985) - Probably my favorite film in the boxset and it
has significant improvement in my opinion. In side-by-side comparison
the old release now appears to have some black boosting. Once again the
new transfer shows more information in the frame and less digital
artifacts. The new has a bit of red but we can't really critique the
appearance too heavily as they are all 'director approved'.
Extras are wonderful... and endless (although no
commentaries). Fans of Varda couldn't ask for more. All the supplements
are listed above but I will highlight some of the ones I enjoyed the
most.
In all the interviews a bit of Agnès Varda's
personality shines through - a twinkle in her eyes or a smiling anecdote
really help to appreciate her warmth and understand a bit about her
creative intelligence. I recommend watching all of them - the new and
the vintage (even the one with Madonna!). Both Remembrances
featurettes (on Cleo and Vagabond) are worth watching.
They both have been made in the last 5 years and are both about 40
minutes long. I applaud those who produced them - excellent content. I'd
also like to encourage investing some time in the shorts (ranging from
1.5 minutes to almost a half hour). I enjoyed most of them and found
them all quintessentially 'French' and wonderful emotional explorations
(even if on a limited scale). Please don't be afraid to give them a
chance. Finally the included book is comfortable to browse - a nicely
appointed keepsake with thought-provoking essays and nostalgic photos. This is a fabulous boxset. I should
comment that I don't recommend watching the entire thing over 1 1/2 days
though - as I did (reviewer hazard). Even though I had seen both Cleo and
Vagabond previously they were still dramatically impacting
(especially Vagabond) even after such a long time (since I had
last seen both). Along with some of her shorts and the interviews
- this is truly a complete celebration of Agnès Varda - not only one of
the great female directors of all time... but one of the greats - period.
Criterion comes through again. Important and essential films - viable
supplements. I feel I am going to revisit this package for the rest of
my life. Strongly recommended! |
DVD Menus
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Extras
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Slip Case Cover
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The great Agnes Varda's film career began with this graceful, penetrating study of a marriage on the rocks, set against the backdrop of a small Mediterranean fishing village. Both a stylized depiction of the complicated relationship between a married couple (played by Silvia Monfort and Philippe Noiret) and a documentary-like look at the daily struggles of the locals, Varda's discursive, gorgeously filmed debut was radical enough to later be considered one of the progenitors of the coming French new wave. |
Screen Captures
La Pointe Courte
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Slip Case Cover
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Agnès Varda eloquently captures Paris in the sixties with this real-time portrait of a singer (Corinne Marchand) set adrift in the city as she awaits test results of a biopsy. A chronicle of the minutes of one woman’s life, Cléo from 5 to 7 is a spirited mix of vivid vérité and melodrama, featuring a score by Michel Legrand (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) and cameos by Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina. |
Screen Captures
Cléo from 5 to 7
Subtitle Sample
(Criterion original release - Region 0 - NTSC TOP reviewed HERE vs. Criterion (4 By Agnes Varda Boxset) - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Criterion original release - Region 0 - NTSC TOP reviewed HERE vs. Criterion (4 By Agnes Varda Boxset) - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Criterion original release - Region 0 - NTSC TOP reviewed HERE vs. Criterion (4 By Agnes Varda Boxset) - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Criterion original release - Region 0 - NTSC TOP reviewed HERE vs. Criterion (4 By Agnes Varda Boxset) - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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Slip Case Cover
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Though married to the good-natured, beautiful Thérèse (Claire Drouot), young husband and father François (Jean-Claude Drouot) finds himself falling unquestioningly into an affair with an attractive postal worker. One of Agnès Varda's most provocative films, Le bonheur examines, with a deceptively cheery palette and the spirited strains of Mozart, the ideas of fidelity and happiness in a modern, self-centered world. |
Screen Captures
Le bonheur
Subtitle Sample
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Slip Case Cover
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(aka 'Without Roof or Rule ' or 'Sans toit ni loi')
.directed by Agnes
Varda
USA 1985
Sandrine Bonnaire won the Best Actress César for her portrayal of the defiant young drifter Mona, found frozen to death in a ditch at the beginning of Vagabond. Agnès Varda pieces together Mona’s story through flashbacks told by those who encountered her (played by a largely nonprofessional cast), producing a splintered portrait of an enigmatic woman. With its sparse, poetic imagery, Vagabond (Sans toit ni loi) is a stunner, and won Varda the top prize at the Venice Film Festival. |
Screen Captures
Vagabond
(Criterion original release - Region 1 - NTSC TOP reviewed HERE vs. Criterion (4 By Agnes Varda Boxset) - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
NOTE: Subtitle sample is not exact frame
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