1
One of the reasons why Agnes Varda is called "the old grandmother of the new wave" is because she made films earlier than the "New Wave" Five Tiger Generals. A model of the concept of "Camera---Fountain Pen" being put into practice. Inspired by William Faulkner's novel "Wild Palm" in his early years, Varda, as an "outsider", wanted to crack the magic barrier of "industrial cinema", and first filmed "Short Point Village" (1955) with a An experimental series of short films.
Second, her films are deeply pioneering, and she is a banner of elegant neo-realism, that is, she adopts the method of "direct film" and uses the method of documentary to shoot feature films, in which she finds a space for harmony and mutual benefit, but goes beyond documentary and The main feature of the drama, completes a loose, smooth and relish image. Looseness is not procrastination, but that she is good at using long shots, as in her first feature film "Cleo from Five to Seven" (1962), from indoors to the streets of Paris, through the walking and stopping of the characters , recording the eyes, expressions and behaviors of others, it can be described as a colorful Ukiyo-e on the streets of Paris. Looking back 50 years later, it can be regarded as a street scene documentary about the style of Paris at that time. It is as precious as films such as "Four Hundred Blows" and "Exhausted".
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Varda's "Cleo from Five to Seven", rather than being called a classic video text of feminist studies, is better to say that she is a poetic light and shadow of creative neorealism. How a girl advances in advance is unknown. The unease and fear of her, what was the result of the hospital test sheet two days ago, did she really have stomach cancer, this troubled her closely. After two days of anxiety, it was finally the afternoon when she got the results, and her panic had reached a critical point.
The film records her uneasy situation from 5:00 to 7:00. It is divided into 13 chapters. It is unknown whether 13 should be a Western unlucky number or a joke. But the film is different from the western film "Noon" (1952), in which the town sheriff faced the villain who came to seek revenge alone, and his every move happened within 85 minutes from 10, 40 in the morning to noon. Consistent with each other, creating an unusual solitary and stimulating effect.
Obviously, Varda will not pursue too much excitement. She just wants to express from the inside out, and she deliberately uses 90 minutes of video to present the shredding experience of Cleo in the past two hours. There are no waves, no surprises, only the heart Hanging apprehension. These 13 time markers have no special meaning in my opinion, but are divided into chapters, allowing the viewer to more clearly observe the changes in Cleo's heart with Cleo's words and deeds and the reality on the side.
3
As a popular singer, Cleo, over the past two days, the random thoughts brought about by the medical examination form of the hospital, condensed in these two hours, what kind of change has occurred. First from 5, 05 to 5, 08 pm this Tuesday, Cleo asked the old lady to tell her fortune with playing cards. The tarot card is the only color in the film. It symbolizes a kind of brightness and hope. Black and white, indicating that this is unknown. The old witch seemed to pinpoint her acupuncture points and said that I saw the three goddesses of separation, travel, and fate. Then say you have a disease and you won't get married. This divination speech undoubtedly made her fall into the dark abyss.
Claire turned to leave, and the old lady opened the curtain and told the old man that she had cancer, and I saw it. The film opens with the possibility that this dubious suspense will accompany Claire for a full two hours. Then a long shot of Cleo walking down the street sadly alone, with boring or funny expressions on the sidelines. She then went to the cafe to meet the maid Angel. Cleo cried sadly, and was persuaded by the foreman and waiter of the cafe. The fat maid Angel is a neurotic optimist, she will not take Cleo's worries seriously, she said in her heart that she is so childish, and she wants someone to comfort her.
Then Angel told them a story about a family in their village who got sick, but Cleo's attention was on a pair of lovers at the table next to each other, which made her even more sad, if it was really like what she was worried about, The best things in the world will come to an abrupt end. On the other hand, Angel was still vividly talking about the people in her village. The name Angel was put on the servant, and she had a sense of joy, showing her naive attitude.
4
After coming out of the coffee shop, Cleo went shopping with the maid. She passed a clothing store. She wanted to buy a hat. After trying it on, she settled on a black hat, which made her very happy and temporarily forgot her troubles. But Angel, who has a lot of rules, said that black is unlucky, and don't take black things on Tuesday, which shows that the country people on this earth like this set of traditional superstitions. But Cleo insisted on buying it, and Angel had to tell the store to deliver it instead of taking it with her.
After coming out, Cleo hired a taxi, and Angel took her hand and said that the number was unlucky. We saw an optimistic and sophisticated image of a maid, which made people amused. Then they caught a taxi, a female driver. This long shot through the streets must be very precious for studying Paris in the 1960s. The female driver played a pop song, which was Cleo's "Variation", but she felt that the recording was not good, so she turned it off. Speaking of the incident of being robbed and attacked last year, this is also a response to Angel's previous question about whether it is dangerous for a woman to drive.
When the car went to the street, a group of art academy students gathered around the car to make fun. Their hip-hop had an impact on Cleo, who was suffering from inner torture. This is a lively Paris. The radio in the car broadcasted instant news, what the Algiers dispute, etc., which made a foreshadowing for the soldiers who went to Algiers later. The pictures of crossing the streets this time can be said to be completed in one go, which shows Varda's ability to take pictures. It is not an exaggeration to say that she has created a living image narrative.
5
Afterwards, they returned to their residence, the large living room, which was also Cleo's practice room, and the kitten swayed everywhere. At this point Cleo said I couldn't breathe. Then try on clothes while exercising. Afterwards, her lover came to visit her, and the two of them seemed to have arrived in Wenrou Township. Lover said softly my kitty, your beauty is that you are healthy. But as soon as her lover left, she was hesitant, wondering if he really loved her. Angel said lightly that of course he loves you, but it still has to be tested. A maid's words always make people laugh. I think Varda in life must be an optimistic person who likes living water. Only new agitation can stimulate her creativity.
Then, Cleo's "Don Juan" performance collaborators Babu and Morris came, one played the piano, the other was funny, and Cleo sang. Babu wrote "Summoning Love" for her "The door is wide open, the cold wind is blowing, without you, I am an empty house, you are late, I am buried, without you, I am lonely, ugly and hopeless... ..." When she sang "Despair," she had a complete breakdown. She was sobbing. In fact, these two funny men were more like amusing her, but they didn't work. Varda is good at interweaving Claire's situation from different shooting angles to illustrate her psychological changes.
Obviously, Cleo couldn't stay in the house any longer. She took off her golden wig, wore a white gauze and sunglasses, and she wanted to challenge this worldly and terrifying reality. She said in her heart that as long as I live, I will be beautiful. She swayed all the way, stopped in front of a Chinese restaurant, and saw her ugly face in the mirror, she was not satisfied. After a street performer performed swallowing a frog alive and slashing her arm with a large knife, she felt sick and left in a hurry.
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She came to the restaurant. Interestingly, Varda deliberately chose a long and narrow restaurant, like a deep tunnel, which made it difficult for Cleo to stay. The expressions of all kinds of people seemed to be talking about her. She had no choice but to escape in such a boring and stuffy space. Then, she came to a sculpture site, where her girlfriend Dorothy was a naked model. After a while, the two came out, and Dorothy drove her to the left bank in a polished sports car, which corresponded to the depressed and depressed right bank before. Dorothy said we haven't seen each other for two years, and you're all right. Cleo made her feel that she was troubled by an unknown condition. Cleo said, I just saw someone slashing the arm with a big knife, and Dorothy just smiled.
Dorothy is also an optimist, but unlike Angel, it makes her feel like a spring breeze. Dorothy Ribbon takes her to her boyfriend's movie theater to see a funny black and white film, which is obviously meant to be. On the bridge of the Seine, his boyfriend said goodbye to his girlfriend. He found that his girlfriend had been knocked down by the water spray from the cleaners and then carried away. He cried out for help. It turned out that it was only because he was wearing sunglasses. Immediately he took off his sunglasses, and the result was completely different. This shows that each person's method of observing the world in different environments is biased, perhaps because the environment is different, and the mentality is also different.
7
After saying goodbye to his happy girlfriend, Cleo's mood changed subtly. She came to Monsuhi Park. Varda's selection of scenes also contains deep connotations. The film specially selects the distant scene of Cleo walking under the shadow of the Pogo tree. Then, she came to the bridge with the gurgling water, and met Anthony, a young man who also came here. When Anthony told her that she was worried, today is the first day of summer, and you are the summer goddess Flora. She said I've been waiting for two days, stop talking.
Anthony knew she was worried and said sorry. She said I'll know the result when I call. He said why don't you go, I will accompany you, and then you will take me to the train station. It turned out that Anthony was an active duty soldier who was about to go to Algeria. The part of the two of them on the bus is very vivid. This rushing scene, starting and stopping, going up and down, is like staging the life of a person on a journey. After arriving at the hospital, she was told that the laboratory doctor was not there, and Anthony sat down with her in the hospital. He joked, I was wrong, the goddess of summer is Shiritz, Flora is the goddess of spring, and today is the longest day of summer.
As he was talking, he didn't expect the diagnosing doctor to drive over. Anthony said that I was her brother, and my sister was very worried about her condition. The doctor told them, don't worry, she only needs two months of treatment and everything will be fine. Come and make a treatment plan with me tomorrow. At least this final "slam dunk" ruled out the stomach cancer she feared.
8
At this time, the two walked side by side, creating a kind of vitality, and the sun hit their faces. "My fear is gone, and I seem happy," she said with a smile. He followed her and laughed, I really don't want to leave, I want to be with you. This kind of spontaneous emotion is not what we expected, but the film brings them closer, which shows that a world of separation can be communicated and eliminated, and we must believe in the future.
The movie ended, but it didn't end. Rather than saying that a woman has completed the process of self-perception "redemption" in this way, it is better to say that establishing this self-confidence is the result of internal and external, of course, mainly due to the change of her own cognition, or a kind of external force. consciousness. This film always reminds me of the traces of nourishment from many later films. I like such interesting light and shadow, no matter from the macro to the micro level, this is a real guide.
I think that Iranian filmmakers such as Abbas and Pan Nahi eventually benefited from the fact that they made films in a documentary style. ” (1929), there was a documentary shooting technique, but it was undoubtedly a big step forward in Varda’s hands. She broke the curse that constrained the author's film, and set a precious, optimistic and unremarkable example for the latecomers who have the courage to make films. This indifferent outlook on life is what I admire the most. .
The existence of Varda has nothing to do with gender, she is an excellent landscape in itself, which is a masterpiece given to the earth by God. The precious thing is that she is still so indifferent, never loud or noisy. She wanders between "New Wave" and "Left Bank", concentrating on what she thinks. If filming or engaging in artistic creation is only regarded as a kind of hobby rather than a show of capital, then this kind of film must be a simple reality and practical. If we take some kind of graceful revelation from this film that enriches our lives, or from Varda, that's enough. If Anthony said in the film "Today is the longest day of summer", then Varda's light and shadow are destined to have eternal value.
2017, 6, 15
View more about Cléo from 5 to 7 reviews
