British label Curzon Artificial Eye will release a box set with films from acclaimed director Agnes Varda. The eight-disc
Blu-ray box set will be available for purhcase on September 25.
Supplemental features to be included on the upcoming box set have not yet been finalized.
Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)
Synopsis: Agnès Varda's skilfully captures Paris at the height of the 60s in this intriguing tale expertly presented in real time about a singer whose life is in turmoil as she awaits a test result from a biopsy. As Cléo readies herself to meet with her doctor she meets several friends and strangers, and grapples with her idea of her own mortality. Featuring a memorable score by Oscar-nominated composer Michel Legrand, the film paints a beguiling and stylish portrait of the French capital at the height of the sixties. Starring Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dorothée Blanck, Michel Legrand, and José Luis de Vilallonga.
Jacquot De Nantes (1991)
Synopsis: Jacquot de Nantes tells the story of a child and his obsession of pursuing his dream to become a filmmaker. How he buys his first camera, shoots his first amateur film which marks the beginning of one of the most prestigious careers of any French director: Jacques Demy. The story is told with emotion by his life partner Agnès Varda.
L'Une Chante, l'Autre Pas Blu-ray aka One Signs, the Other Doesn't (1977)
Synopsis: Agnès Varda focuses on the intertwined lives of two women brought together during the struggle of the women's movement in 1970s France. This subject that remains all too familiar with Varda who was personally involved with the movement. Starring Thérèse Liotard, Valérie Mairesse, and Robert Dadiès
Le Bonheur (1965)
Synopsis: In one of Agnès Varda's more provocative films, she presents us with the dilemma faced by husband and father Francois (Jean-Claude Drouot) who finds himself falling in love with an attractive postal worker. What follows is a detailed study of adult fidelity and happiness, which will ultimately end with major repercussions for all parties involved. Starring Jean-Claude Drouot, Claire Drouot, Olivier Drouot, Sandrine Drouot, and Marie-France Boyer.
The Gleaners & I (2000)
Synopsis: In 2000, Agnès Varda travelled the French countryside to study the world of foragers and scavengers called The Gleaners. Describing herself as a gleaner of ideas and images from interior as well as exterior journeys gives the director a special connection with her subjects in this honest and intriguing documentary. Starring Bodan Litnanski, Agnès Varda, and François Wertheimer.
The Beaches of Agnès (2008)
Synopsis: Beaches have always been important to Agnès Varda, as she would travel to the seaside every Easter and summer throughout her childhood. During the Second World War, she was exiled in the coastal town of Sète, a period she recalls with fondness as a time of endless fun. Returning to Sète in the late 50s, she would use the locale and the local fishermen as the backdrop for her remarkable feature debut La Pointe Courte.
Varda returns once more to the beaches, using her early memories of the coast as a springboard for the film's meditation on her youth. Weaving photography, archive footage, scenes from her own films and present-day sequences, Varda takes us on a memorable voyage through her life, during which she confronts the joy of creation and the pain of personal loss, death and ageing.
It is a singular trip played out against the stirring backdrop of the post-war explosion of cultural expression in France. She knew everyone: the French New Wave set (she was married to Jacques Demy), the Black Panthers and even Jim Morrison, who would visit Agnès when he was in Paris. Idiosyncratic, engaging and deeply moving, The Beaches of Agnès is the autobiography of a magnificent artist and a woman of vital curiosity. Starring Mathieu Demy and Jane Birkin.
Vagabond (1985)
Synopsis: Sandrine Bonnaire won a Best Actress César for her portrayal as Mona - a young and defiant drifter in this tragic story. Using a largely non-professional cast, Agnès Varda's splintered portrait of the enigmatic woman is told through flashbacks of those who encountered her. Also starring Macha Méril and Yolande Moreau.
La Pointe Courte (1955)
Synopsis: Anticipating the style and attitude of the New Wave, Agnès Varda's directorial debut remains as fresh and original as the day it was made.
Set in a declining Mediterranean fishing village, the film portrays both the complex relationship between a married couple, exceptionally played by Silvia Monfort and Philippe Noiret, and the economic difficulties facing the wider community. Remarkably assured and insightful, the film bears the realist approach, social comment and filmmaking flair that would become Varda's hallmarks.