Abe A
Strange movie. I enjoyed it. On the one hand I was bored. On the other hand, I didn't want it to finish. I can't explain this feeling.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
04/09/24
Full Review
A R
This movie is incredibly inventive and required viewing for anyone trying to familiarize themselves with French new wave. It blends Italian neo-realism with the French new wave to come, so it's a spectacular balance or authentic realism and melodramatic, artsy beauty. Both halves of the movie are fascinating in their own way but, personally, I'll be re-watching for the dialogue between the married couple - which can be over-the-top and angsty at times, but feels honest too. In between our married couple and fishermen, there are beautiful scenes of the surroundings that really highlight what an incredible eye Agnes has. All that in mind, this is a beautiful, artsy film, but it's pacing can be jarring and slow, so I never felt fully immersed.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/03/24
Full Review
Audience Member
The sexual tension between these two was so thin. The whole time, merely seconds away from collapsing into rough, passionate, hot, European sex.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/14/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The aesthetic importance of this tremendous masterpiece of a debut is equally proportional to its historical one.
To begin with, much was made of the fact that the film had been done by "a 25-year-old girl". Little did those bastards know that not only this film would be debatedly considered as the very first film of the French New Wave movement - predating Chabrol's <i>Le Beau Serge</i> (1958) which is the feature that normally carries that credit - but also that Varda would be then called "the grandmother of the New Wave". So we are talking about the legendary first project of a woman that was currently my age. With all due respect, that just turns me on.
A lot.
Secondly, this is, like stated, a debut. This had been already mentioned, but I bring this up again because Varda only had previous experience as a photographer, and yet, the imagery reaches extraordinary measures of visual poetry, balance and correct panoramic views and character close-ups. It tricks us into thinking that the director had directorial experience already, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. This is a proof that the only thing you need for directing a masterpiece is the heart of an auteur, and not previous experience. You require, however, aesthetic talent, and to firmly believe in the power of what images can communicate.
Thirdly, the film is divided into two stories, but not fragmented. Instead, these are told simultaneously. This is extremely important.
I. The first story brings up simplicity to the table as it portrays the everyday life of the inhabitants of the existing village La Pointe-Courte. In the context of French cinema, this seems like a transition between one stage and the next. The first stage is visible in this story. The whole depiction, thematically and given the physical settings, is obviously reminiscent from Visconti's unparalleled piece of cinematic Neorealism <i>La Terra Trema: Episodio del Mare</i> (1948). That was the first thing that came to my mind. However, the tone carries a joyous energy, even if images of poverty fill the screen, with a peculiar freshness and tones of humor. So instead of being a furious denunciation against social inequalities and the macroeconomic system, it is simply a picturesque representation of a distant lifestyle that resonates true even in the modern era.
II. The second story, believe it or not, brought Resnais and Bergman to my mind. The story is about a couple discussing their bonds and how they must face the emotional and time transcendence of their troubled relationship. Indeed, the film was edited by Alain Resnais, which is noticeable in the most impressionistic segments of the film, from the opening scene to the cinematography employed to focus on what happens in the surroundings of the story. There is a particular scene meant to contrast two differing personalities between the two lovers which is identical to the iconic shot used in <i>Persona</i> (1966) to suggest a personality duality beginning a process of either unification or metaphysical connection. Here, the intention is not that deep, but this scene not only predates Bergman 11 years, but is also explained by what is stated by the woman near the ending: their bonds between both are stronger than themselves. The dialogue handling for emphasizing the depth of their psychological concerns is mindblowing, while imagery subliminally illustrates the points they are making.
So this third aspect of the film is just to point out the fact that Varda made a debut with TWO styles, and both are extraordinarily made!! Is she even from this world?
My hypothesis is that Resnais grabbed influence from this dual storytelling structure and applied it to his best film <i>Hiroshima mon Amour</i> (1959), where a micro-tragedy (Elle and Lui) mirrors the reconstruction process of a macro-tragedy: Hiroshima's bombing. Similarly, the relationship micro-story happens in the context of a larger macro-story, which are the anecdotes of the village, which range from the tragic to the folkloric and the nostalgic.
A rating below 4.5 stars needs a terribly serious justification to convince me otherwise. This is a freakin' cinema phenomenon from one of the few heroines in cinema.
99/100
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/22/23
Full Review
eric b
Sometimes presented as the first film of the French New Wave, "La Pointe-Courte" arrived long before more iconic landmarks like "Breathless" and "The 400 Blows." Director Agnes Varda surveys life in a quaint seaside village, focusing primarily on a troubled couple visiting from Paris (the man is the young Phillippe Noiret, who will be barely recognizable to contemporary fans familiar with his more elderly roles), a pair of naive lovers whose father stands in the way of their courtship and the threat that government regulations pose to the local fishing trade. The tone is charmingly gentle, with a camera meandering between little houses as melancholy clarinets ambiently chirp on the soundtrack. For better or worse, the main couple's dialogue obviously anticipates the later work of directors like Alain Resnais (who is this film's editor) and Jean-Luc Godard -- the two scarcely show any emotion, and instead tend to just abstractly muse about love while looking into the distance. Not too engaging, and such meditations eventually wear out their welcome.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The sublime depiction of a marriage on the rocks is skilfully presented in an innovative way against the daily life of the small Mediterranean fishing village.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/21/23
Full Review
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