Cine-Varda: La Grande-Mere?

There are a number of people who would argue with the bold claim that Agnes Varda created the French New Wave.  Varda is still with us, though, so it’s really her word against a few dead Frenchmens’!  Born to a French mother in Belgium, Varda is known as one of the great feminist, avante-garde filmmakers of her time – and her time is still thriving.  Her latest film, The Beaches of Agnes, is a documentary on herself, her life, and her work in cinema.  She’s worked in motion pictures since her first film, La Pointe Courte in 1954, so she’s got plenty to say. 

It is easy to know quite a bit about the French New Wave without ever having heard of Agnes Varda.  Some consider her the grandmother of the French New Wave, while others argue that her films take on a more Rive Gauche (or Left Bank cinema) feel.  The Left Bank directors (Agnes Varda, Jacques Demy) and the Cahiers du Cinema directors (Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard) were advocates of each others’ work but had a great many differences that kept their films from overlapping.  The Left Bank directors were much more Bohemian, had a distaste for the kind of conformity that the Cahiers boys didn’t much shy away from.  The Left Bank directors were also less financially successful.  The critical acclaim never eluded the Left Bank group, though; they’re responsible for such masterpieces as Hiroshima, Mon Amour and Last Year at Marienbad.   

On view now (it started June 24!) through July 1 at the Aero Theatre on Montana Ave. is a tribute to Agnes Varda, called Cine-Varda.  Tonight, they’re showing a few of Varda’s classics: Cleo From 5 to 7 and Vagabond.  If you’re only gonna head to the Aero for one screening, though, order your tickets now for Wednesday evening – a sneak peak at Varda’s latest film The Beaches of Agnes followed by a discussion with the director herself.  Maybe that’s when you can ask her opinion on this whole French New Wave thing: did she invent it or not?

Cine-Varda is a brief, in-person tribute to Agnes Varda at the Aero Theatre on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, it ends Wednesday July 1.  For more information, please click here.  

Photo: Corinne Marchand in Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) by Agnes Varda.