Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962)
"Cléo de 5 à 7" (original title)

This movie shows us Cléo, a French singer, who is afraid of getting the result of of a test from her doctor. She believes that she has cancer and will die of the disease. We follow her for ... See full summary »

Director:

Agnès Varda

Writer:

Agnès Varda

Stars:

Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dominique Davray

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Corinne Marchand	...	Florence, 'Cléo Victoire'
Antoine Bourseiller	...	Antoine
Dominique Davray	...	Angèle
Dorothée Blanck	...	Dorothée (as Dorothée Blank)
Michel Legrand	...	Bob, the Pianist
José Luis de Vilallonga	...	The Lover
Loye Payen	...	Irma, la cartomancienne
Renée Duchateau
Lucienne Marchand	...	La conductrice du taxi
Serge Korber	...	Plumitif (the lyricist)
Robert Postec	...	Le docteur Valineau
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Arthur Brunet

Storyline

This movie shows us Cléo, a French singer, who is afraid of getting the result of of a test from her doctor. She believes that she has cancer and will die of the disease. We follow her for two hours while she cruises through the streets of Paris. At the end, she meets a soldier who is going to the war in Algeria the next day.

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Plot Keywords:

singer | soldier | cancer | fortune teller | model | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

11 April 1962 (France)

Also Known As:

Cleo from 5 to 7

Filming Locations:

Arrêt de bus Verlaine, près de la Place d'Italie, Paris 13, Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ciné Tamaris, Rome Paris Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film actually covers Cléo from 5:00 to 6:30. The final chapter for the film ends at 6:30.

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Goofs

In the beginning of Chapter 3, as Cleo is putting on a black hat, the camera-man's right arm can be seen in the mirror next to her.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[in French, using English subtitles]
Irma, la cartomancienne: Cut the deck please. Choose nine cards with your left hand. Three for the past, three for the present, three for the future.

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Connections

Features Les fiancés du pont Mac Donald ou (Méfiez-vous des lunettes noires) (1961)

User Reviews

A film of style and substance

I have to say that I never tire of watching this film. It is one of those films where form and content, style and substance, merge to form a great work of art.

The character of Cleo, a beautiful young singer forced to accept a possible diagnosis of cancer, is both iconic and true to life. I love the shots of her walking the streets, shot from a birds' eye view and you hear the comments of men as she's walking by. Varda's objectifies her from this angle as she pops out from the scene with her puffy wig and polka dot dress, and in the background is just this incredible music. The camera-work is so varied and so strong throughout the film. There are objective angles, subjective angles, there are playful movements of the camera to go with the music, a back and forth with the mirrors in the cafe, in the hat shop, slow, soft, out of focus movements in bed as she waits for her lover, zoom transitions as she sings her song, Slow pans in the art studio. One scene I liked especially was the scattering of the birds as she's walking down the street. It seems to signify, so well, to me a sign of a bad omen tied to almost a mythological scale.

These are my scattered impressions of this film, a perfect film in my opinion.