Clo de 5 7: French Film Guide

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"Cleo de 5 a 7" (1962) chronicles, in 'real time', ninety minutes in the life of rising pop singer Cleo Victoire, played by Corinne Marchand. Awaiting the results of a biopsy and fearing the worst, the charismatic protagonist seeks solace from a variety of characters on a June afternoon in Paris. Valerie Orpen follows Cleo's journey, providing a fascinating exploration of the film's unusual time structure and of the evocative mise-en-scene, which captures so vividly the Paris of the early 1960s. The only product of the French New Wave by a woman filmmaker, "Cleo de 5 a 7" is typical of the era stylistically and in many of its themes - Orpen here reveals the subtlety with which director Agnes Varda addresses topical issues such as the Algerian war, fear of cancer and the emptiness of fame. Yet, the film also retains a feminine, even feminist, slant unusual for the period, and Varda drew on a wider range of influences, including art and literature, than her cinephile male peers. Orpen tells the story of Varda's unorthodox beginnings as a filmmaker, and looks closely at the similarities and crucial differences between her work and that of her friend Godard and the other directors of the New Wave. Looking finally at critical responses to the film on its release, this lively guide makes clear the reasons why "Cleo de 5 a 7" continues to generate discussion and to draw in new audiences.

Reviews

'Ginette Vincendeau has assembled an elite corps of film scholars to address a marvelous array of modern and classic French films with the close-up scrutiny they deserve.' -Dudley AndrewSIGHT AND SOUNDTheir prose is clear, lucid, accessible and refreshingly free from jargon...Students should find these books extremely useful and even readers who already know the films well will discover new angles...an invaluable series.Phillip KempFILM REVIEWThe acclaimed French Film Guide series from I.B.Tauris continues this month with four excellent new titlesFRENCH MAGAZINEWhether you're inspired by the spellbinding Amelie, or intrigued by the darkly fascinating Le Corbeau, these glossy books make essential reading for cinema fans everywhere

Author Bio

Valerie Orpen is a freelance writer and translator. She has published several articles on French cinema and is the author of The Art of the Expressive: Film Editing.