Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) [The Criterion Collection #073]

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Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) [The Criterion Collection #073]

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Writer/director Agnes Varda's Cléo de 5 à 7 is one of the more unassuming works in the French New Wave – it has neither the historical gravity of, say, Alain Resnais's Hiroshima Mon Amour nor the shock value of Jean-Luc Godard's À Bout de Souffle – but in its own quiet way, it offers offers a meticulous record of one woman's capacity to observe, dream, and feel. In near real-time, we follow pop singer Cléo (Corrine Marchand) as she waits for her doctor's verdict on a cancer test; though the subject matter is heart-rending, Varda's athletic direction prevents the film from becoming a cloying weepie. In true New Wave fashion, she incorporates any technique that suits her needs: a meandering soundtrack that picks up ancillary characters' conversations; subjective point-of-view shots; titles that separate the film into "chapters"; and documentary-style snatches of street life. Instead of cluttering the film, Varda's flourishes have a breezy, existential quality that underscores Cléo's impending news without trivializing her predicament. Marchand aids the director immensely; her intuitive performance suggests a brainier Marilyn Monroe afflicted with spiritual malaise.

Review by Michael Hastings, Allmovie.com

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Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) [The Criterion Collection #073]

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Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) [The Criterion Collection #073]

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Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) [The Criterion Collection #073]

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Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) [The Criterion Collection #073]

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Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) [The Criterion Collection #073]

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Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) [The Criterion Collection #073]

Close

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Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) [The Criterion Collection #073]

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Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) [The Criterion Collection #073]

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Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) [The Criterion Collection #073]

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Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) [The Criterion Collection #073]

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Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) [The Criterion Collection #073]

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Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) [The Criterion Collection #073]

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Special Features:
– Remembrances (2005), a documentary on the making of the film, featuring interviews with Varda and actors Corinne Marchand and Antoine Bourseiller (35:59)
– 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 (02:25)
– Cléo’s Real Path Through Paris (2005), a short film retracing, on a motorcycle, Cléo’s steps through Paris (09:17)
– 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 (04:55)
– L’opéra Mouffe (1958), an early short by Varda, with a score by Georges Delerue (16:05)
– Theatrical trailer (02:04)
– New and improved English subtitle translation
– Cover + DVD Scan + Booklet