Review by Doug Cooper
Stars Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dominique Davray, Dorothee Blanck, Michel Legrand, Jose Luis de Vilallonga, Loye Payen, Renee Duchateau
Written by Agnes Varda
Certification UK PG | Spain 14
Runtime 90 minutes
Directed by Agnes Varda
Agnes Varda's 1961 black and white cinema verite effort was a breakthrough for the movie director, utilising many of the fashionable traits of the French New Wave. It's been dusted off for a re-release at London's BFI Southbank as part of a retrospective of her work and is playing at selected cinemas too.
Shot in real time, it depicts 90 minutes (not two hours as shown by the title) in the life of the gorgeous and shapely Cleo (Marchand), a singer who is fearful of the fact that she may have cancer. She goes about her existence in a casual and friendly way though, enjoying the sights of Paris, paying visits to coffee bars, fashion houses and meeting up with her good friend Dorothee (Blanck), a beautiful nude model for sculptors. They view a silent film that features Jean Luc Godard and Anna Karina, and in the final section she meets a nice soldier (Bourseiller), on leave from the Algerian war, who opens her mind up to a more optimistic way of thinking. The walk in the park they take together is a breath of fresh air for her.
This isn't profound in any way, merely a mildly diverting confection that casts an observational light on the character, never judging her but presenting her in as natural and spontaneous a way as possible. Marchand is nuanced and likeable and is given good support by her agreeable co-stars. Light and airy, it's never that interesting, but amiable enough in a minor key.