At this point I’ve seen a whole lot of films by Agnès Varda. She made a bunch of documentaries in addition to her feature films, which I’ve put off because, while I’m generally a fan of her work, I’m not a big fan of docs. I decided to give these a go, starting with The Gleaners and I (and its sequel, The Gleaners and I: Two Years Later). In these films, Varda looks at the age-old tradition of gleaning, people who come in and pick through the leftovers after the majority of the crops have been harvested. Specifically, Varda is interested in the poorer people who look for the scraps left behind, for personal sustenance to get by. She also broadens the definition of gleaners, turning her camera on urban dumpster divers. I didn’t get into it; just not my cup of tea. ★½
The Beaches of Agnès, made in 2008 when Agnès was turning 80, was supposed to be her last film. It is an introspective film, revisiting many of the films and friends she made over her long career. She talks about some of the great film directors she’d had a chance to meet and work with, and obviously it’s an impressive list. If I had seen this movie 10 years ago, before I’d become acquainted with the French New Wave or art house films, or classic film in general, I probably would have hated this one too. But because I’d seen so many Varda pictures, and had at least a passing acquaintance with the names she was throwing out, I was pretty fascinated throughout the film. It’s a great look behind the camera for film lovers, as she points to inspirations. There’s also a lovely tribute to her husband, the late great Jacques Demy. ★★★½
Obviously Beaches was not her last film. She followed up a couple years later with a 5 part television miniseries: Agnès de ci de lá Varda (aka Agnès Varda: From Here to There). In it, Agnès is traveling the globe, visiting numerous cities. Many times, she’s there for a screening for her film Beaches, or as a guest artist at the local museum, or for an exhibit of her photography, but in each city, she takes the time to visit other museums and interview local filmmakers and artists. There’s a lot of local photos, scenes, and interesting tidbits about the places she visits, but again, the only part of this (rather long) documentary that I really enjoyed were those moments when she was talking film. I’m not a big art fan, and when I am in for some museum walking, I like classical art. Varda focuses much of her attention on modern art, and I can only take so much of a man combing paint with a metal brush to get “interesting swirls,” or sculptures made of glass, etc. Call me old school. There were enough interesting points to keep my attention, but also enough points that I was itching to press the fast forward button. Like the man who collects buttons he finds on the street, and writes notes about where he found each one. He has boxes full. Fascinating…. ★★½
Faces Places, Agnès Varda’s penultimate film, starred her and street artist/photographer JR, who also shared directorial duties. This is my kind of documentary, because it doesn’t feel like a documentary. Agnès and JR go on the road taking photos of normal, every-day people, and plastering the images onto the sides of houses, water silos, shipping containers, train cars, or anything else of significant size to warrant attention. Along the way, we get a deeply personal story, and a peak into the souls of two profound artists. In particular, we see Varda contemplating death (she was 88 by now), and JR, who oozes cool with every step (he refuses to take off his trademark hat and sunglasses, despite Agnès’ constant needling) showing great care and fondness for his subjects, and particularly for Varda herself. Ostensibly a doc about photography and art, it comes off more as a buddy road film, and that kind of movie is indeed right up my alley. A poignant scene at the end of the film is as touching as you will find. ★★★★½
Her last film was completed just before her death in March 2019 at the age of 90. Varda by Agnès is part review of her works, part an explanation of her techniques and inspirations. It is shown as if Varda is guest speaking at a college course. Filmed on stage of an elaborate, old school movie theater, with students filling the seats, Agnès takes us on a stroll through her oeuvre. I really enjoyed the first hour, hour+fifteen or so, when she talks about her old fictional films. She revisits all the greats: Cléo, Vagabond, Jacquot de Nantes, her films with Jane Birkin, and (one of my faves, though not especially popular otherwise), One Hundred and One Nights. She discusses tracking shots, why she filmed certain scenes certain ways, and why in some places, she went against conventional filming technique. Really interesting stuff, and since I’d seen all of these movies, I loved it. The last 45 minutes or so delves into her documentaries, so I was less enthralled, especially since I’d just seen the above ones. But still, it’s a fair sendoff for one of cinema’s most influential directors. The mother of the French New Wave had quite a story to tell. ★★★
- TV series currently watching: Star Trek Discovery (season 4)
- Book currently reading: Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert
Jons Movie Takes 