8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
A real-time portrait of a singer set adrift in the city as she awaits test results of a biopsy.
Starring: Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dorothée Blanck, Michel Legrand, José Luis de VilallongaForeign | 100% |
Drama | 59% |
Romance | 18% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: LPCM Mono
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Note: This film is available as part of
The Complete Films of Agnès Varda.
In the wake (figurative or otherwise) of Agnès Varda’s death last year at the age of 90, quite a bit has rightfully been written about this iconic force
in
both
French and global cinema. Varda’s output includes well over fifty credits as a director (including some television entries as detailed by the
IMDb), and aside from listing some of her better known triumphs,
many obituaries and/or eulogies about Varda mentioned any number of other biographical data points, including her rather unique position as a
woman in France’s nouvelle vague movement, her own feminism which was featured none too subtly in some of her films, and her
frequently provocative experimental style. But you know what one of the things that kind of fascinates me personally most about Varda? That she
was married for 28 years to Jacques Demy, from 1962 until Demy’s death in 1990. That Varda, often a purveyor of verité infused
“realism”,
whether that be in outright documentaries or at least ostensibly more “fictional” outings, and Demy, a director whose candy colored, dreamlike and
at least relatively "Hollywoodized" musicals with
Michel Legrand brought a new luster and gloss to French cinema, managed to make a marital go of it for so long is certainly testament to the
maxim
that “opposites attract”, even if those oppositional forces in this instance played out at least in part in terms of what kinds of films the two were
often
best remembered for. If Varda's long marriage to Demy is more than enough reason to celebrate her personal life, her professional life is
beautifully
feted in this rather astounding new set from Criterion, which aggregates an amazing 39 films (albeit some running as short as a few minutes) to
provide what is arguably one of the most insightful
overviews of Varda's cinematic oeuvre. Perhaps unavoidably, but also undeniably movingly, these personal and professional sides of
Varda
merge in at least some of the films in this set, including
The
Young
Girls Turn 25, The World of Jacques
Demy, Jacquot de Nantes, and The Beaches of Agnès.
Cléo from 5 to 7 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.67:1. A prefatory text card discloses this was based on a 2012 restoration, though there's not a lot of other information detailed. While a few niggling qualms may remain that some videophiles feel might have been remedied or outright removed in a newer, more extensive, restoration, such as some brief flashes that dot the frame when Cléo is playing with her kitten when she returns to her flat, this is a generally very beautiful looking presentation. There are occasional variances in clarity in some of the location shots out and about, but for the most part fine detail levels on things like fabrics or even some of Cléo's flyaway hairs are typically very good. Contrast is solid and black levels look great. Grain can be heavy at times, perhaps exacerbated by some of the brighter outdoor material, but resolves naturally throughout. The brief color sequence at the opening also looks fine, though it's part of an optically printed credits sequence, and so has a somewhat grittier appearance.
Cléo from 5 to 7 features an LPCM Mono track in the original French. The film has a rather nicely nuanced sound design, with a lot of ambient environmental noises filling the track when Cléo is out and about in some crowded urban settings. The fun sequence with Michel Legrand as Bob the pianist offers some nice music, though there's just the hint of breakup in this scene at some of the higher amplitudes. Otherwise, the score sounds nicely full bodied and problem free. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout the presentation. Optional English subtitles are available.
Some wise man like Frank Zappa utilized the old proverb "necessity is the mother of invention", but as Varda discloses in one of the documentaries in this set, the whole "real time" aspect of this compelling film came about simply as a budget saving matter. Beyond that inherently "restrictive" element, though, Varda really goes for the gusto here in terms of both thought provoking content and some extremely stylish shots. The film is surprisingly playful, given some of its morose subject matter. Technical merits are solid, and the supplementary package very enjoyable. Highly recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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