Cleo, a young singer in Paris, visits a woman who reads Taro cards. It's clear to the seer that Cleo's future is an enigma, at best, judging by the cards she has picked. When Cleo goes, she even tells her husband she has just seen death, and what's more, cancer, being the cause of it, which is what the young woman fears the most.
What follows is Cleo trying to make sense of her life before she hears the inevitable fate she fears. Cleo runs into friends and goes all over Paris at a feverish pace, not knowing what will her doctor tell her is the cause that brought her to see him in the first place. At the same time, Cleo never appears to really be concerned, or evidently has made up her mind about the worst case scenario of her medical condition.
It is not until almost the end of the film that Cleo runs into the kind soldier, Antoine, in the park. He is concerned about the conflict in Algeria. Antoine too, must face an uncertain future because he will be sent to fight. Antoine turns out one of the best things that happen to Cleo because of his positive outlook at a time when she feels despondent because of what appears it will be a death sentence.
Agnes Varda, a director with a large trajectory in the French cinema, was at her best when she undertook this project. Ms. Varda, a feminist, never received her due by the same people that went to praise her male contemporaries. The film shows the contrast between a Cleo that is expecting such dire news and the life of the city around her. Ms. Varda employed three men to capture the magnificence of the city of Paris as Cleo goes through different parts of the city. This is a Paris that is not the sort of touristy version one is accustomed to seeing in some other glossy pictures. Thus, the black and white cinematography of Paul Bonis, Alain Levent and Jean Rabier show in vivid detail a city alive and in all its splendor while the main character is having doubts about what life has for her in store.
Corinne Marchand is perfect as the young Cleo. Ms. Marchand is about the best thing in the film. She is always at the center of almost every frame in the picture. Antoine Bourseiller who appears as Antoine makes a tremendous contribution even when he is only seen at the last moments of the movie. Dominique Davray, Dorothee Blank, have good moments. Michel Legrand shows up as a pianist, as well as the composer of the musical score.
"Cleo de 5 a 7" is also a fun film where to watch such French film stars as Anna Karina, Yves Robert, Jean-Claude Brially, Danielle Delorme, Sami Frey, the excellent Eddie Constantine, and even Jean-Luc Goddard appear in cameos. In a way, Agnes Varda pays tribute to Mr. Godard by imitating his style in the way she conceives the film.
This 1960 film shows the talented Agnes Varda on her own merits in a film that is a tribute to life itself.
What follows is Cleo trying to make sense of her life before she hears the inevitable fate she fears. Cleo runs into friends and goes all over Paris at a feverish pace, not knowing what will her doctor tell her is the cause that brought her to see him in the first place. At the same time, Cleo never appears to really be concerned, or evidently has made up her mind about the worst case scenario of her medical condition.
It is not until almost the end of the film that Cleo runs into the kind soldier, Antoine, in the park. He is concerned about the conflict in Algeria. Antoine too, must face an uncertain future because he will be sent to fight. Antoine turns out one of the best things that happen to Cleo because of his positive outlook at a time when she feels despondent because of what appears it will be a death sentence.
Agnes Varda, a director with a large trajectory in the French cinema, was at her best when she undertook this project. Ms. Varda, a feminist, never received her due by the same people that went to praise her male contemporaries. The film shows the contrast between a Cleo that is expecting such dire news and the life of the city around her. Ms. Varda employed three men to capture the magnificence of the city of Paris as Cleo goes through different parts of the city. This is a Paris that is not the sort of touristy version one is accustomed to seeing in some other glossy pictures. Thus, the black and white cinematography of Paul Bonis, Alain Levent and Jean Rabier show in vivid detail a city alive and in all its splendor while the main character is having doubts about what life has for her in store.
Corinne Marchand is perfect as the young Cleo. Ms. Marchand is about the best thing in the film. She is always at the center of almost every frame in the picture. Antoine Bourseiller who appears as Antoine makes a tremendous contribution even when he is only seen at the last moments of the movie. Dominique Davray, Dorothee Blank, have good moments. Michel Legrand shows up as a pianist, as well as the composer of the musical score.
"Cleo de 5 a 7" is also a fun film where to watch such French film stars as Anna Karina, Yves Robert, Jean-Claude Brially, Danielle Delorme, Sami Frey, the excellent Eddie Constantine, and even Jean-Luc Goddard appear in cameos. In a way, Agnes Varda pays tribute to Mr. Godard by imitating his style in the way she conceives the film.
This 1960 film shows the talented Agnes Varda on her own merits in a film that is a tribute to life itself.