Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962)

Cleo, a singer and hypochondriac, becomes increasingly worried that she might have cancer while awaiting test results from her doctor.

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

Two hours from 17:00 to 19:00h on the longest day of the year in the life of a young Parisienne is presented. Florence Victoire, who is better known by her stage name Cléo Victoire (as in Cleopatra), is a singer with three hit singles to her name, and as such some renown. Two days ago, she went in for some tests for abdominal issues to see if it is cancer. She will be getting the results today at 18:30h. She is certain that it will be a terminal cancer diagnosis, her mind fixated on that outcome and what it actually means. This belief affects how she approaches the day, from her encounters with friends and acquaintances to what she observes in total strangers around her. It could be as simple as how she views the lyrics to new songs presented to her from her songwriting team, to her feelings about a conversation she overhears in a café between a couple having relationship problems, to the typical sweet nothings spoken to her from her lover, José. There are certain things that do ...

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Plot Keywords:

cancer | fear of death | french new wave | color sequence | singer | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Ciné Tamaris [France]

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

11 April 1962 (France)

Also Known As:

Cleo from 5 to 7

Filming Locations:

Rue du Pont-Neuf, Paris 1, 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

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Goofs

The dolly track used in the final shot can be seen as the actors walk away from the hospital. Agnes Varda recounts in the much later documentary 'Anecdotes and Memories' how devastated she was to see the track and convinced the producers to allow a re-shoot at great expense. However none of the retakes matched the emotional quality of the original take so she retained it despite the goof.

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Quotes

Florence, 'Cléo Victoire': I'm suffocating.
Angèle: Do a bit of exercising.
[Cleo lights a cigarette]

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Connections

Featured in Deux de la Vague (2010)

User Reviews

From ignorance to enlightenment.

First scene (shot in color):Cleo visits the fortune-teller:ignorance,confusion.Last scene:Cleo is a responsible woman now,she's ready to cope with a not-so-rose future:enlightenment. Between the scenes ,one hour and a half (the title is a misnomer).Historically,it's not the first film whose story unfolds in real time (see Robert Wise:the set up).But the concept is here totally mastered. At the beginning of the movie,Cleo is a precious,soft ,selfish young girl.The fortune-teller epitomizes naïvete,a non-scientific attitude.And however,the lady says something important when Cleo draws a skeleton from the tarot pack:"do not panic,the arms and the legs are still covered with flesh.Your own being is about to change deeply." The fortune tells that to comfort Cleo -later she'll tell her husband "cards say "death!",and as for me I've seen cancer"-and the end would prove she was right though. After leaving the fortune-teller,Cleo meets some people ,most of them indifferent,she cannot communicate her anguish to any of them.Everybody' s busy about himself.They listen to her,but they can't hear her. Then she takes her black glasses off!It's a symbol,now she's ready to see the world as it is.She meets Antoine ,he's a soldier about to return to Algeria to fight in a dirty war.Both are afraid,both have found the comfort they needed so!Now Cleo has opened up,she can face the terrible illness."I'm not afraid anymore,she says,I think that I'm happy"