Cléo de 5 à 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

Cast overview, first billed only:
Corinne Marchand	...	Florence 'Cléo' Victoire
Antoine Bourseiller	...	Antoine
Dominique Davray	...	Angèle
Dorothée Blanck	...	Dorothée (as Dorothée Blank)
Michel Legrand	...	Bob, le pianiste
José Luis de Vilallonga	...	José, l'amant de Cléo (as José-Luis de Vilallonga)
Loye Payen	...	Irma, la cartomancienne
Renée Duchateau	...	La vendeuse de chapeaux
Lucienne Marchand	...	La conductrice du taxi
Serge Korber	...	Maurice, dit 'plumitif'
Robert Postec	...	Le docteur Valineau
Jean-Luc Godard	...	L'homme aux lunettes noires / Actor in silent film
Anna Karina	...	Anna, la fiancée blonde / Actress in silent film
Emilienne Caille	...	La fiancée noire / Actress in silent film
Eddie Constantine	...	L'arroseur / Actor in silent film

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:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Underwent a 2K restoration in 2012 through the Archives Françaises du Film du CNC and supervised by writer/director Agnès Varda, with image work done at the Digimage laboratory and sound work at Elude.

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Goofs

After the rehearsal scene, when the pianist (Michel Legrand) says "self-pitying spoiled child," the shot is a composite. Michel's head and the background in front of him is one shot, and the background behind him is another shot, which pans towards Cleo after he speaks his line. The clocks on the ledge behind Michel can be briefly seen in two places at once.

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Quotes

Raoul, le projectionniste: My doll!
Dorothée: Baby, doll!

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Connections

Featured in Voyage à travers le cinéma français (2016)

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Soundtracks

La menteuse
Performed by Corinne Marchand (feat. Michel Legrand et son orchestre)

User Reviews

not really perfect, but then life ain't either

Cleo from 5 to 7 (actually it's 5 to 6:30 but how it is sounds better) is the feminine point of view of Paris, of a discombobulated woman on the edge of a potentially tragic discovery (whether she might die of cancer), and it works because Agnes Varda is in love with the cinema and in love with Paris and in love with her character and star. The passion carries over what little flaws there are- I personally couldn't really stand the actor playing the soldier, though maybe it was some of the writing that came off poorly or self-consciously- and it works as modern film art for what it accomplishes which is one of those rare pure movies for women that doesn't reek of sentimentality or kitsch. It's got some hard issues to face, but it's done in a beautiful style with the camera- itself, as some have noted its own character- and modernity in its thoughts and dialogs.

The star, Connie Marchand, aside from being an unusually beautiful blonde (I almost thought at one point Varda couldn't get Deneauve and settled on a very respectable 2nd choice) conveys that sense of being young and pretty and possibly talented but also unhappy and disillusioned by what might happen not just with her potential illness but herself in general. There's one short scene I really loved where she's just walking down the street and the point of view goes back and forth, jarringly, between herself and those men (and men) of all ages taking a glance or look at her. Is it because she's a semi-famous singer or because she just happens to be a pretty blonde walking down the street? A similar scene occurs when she goes to a café and puts on one of her songs on the jukebox and everyone goes about their business.

Varda, at the least, gets us as much as she can inside her head-space, be it in small scenes like that or something truly grandiose like when she sings the sad song written by Michael Legrand and as it continues and rises it culminates into something too emotional for her to sustain. She tries to explain it as well, which makes it worse. It also helps in Cleo from 5 to 7 that the structure is broken up as it is in the chapters; another French New-Wave film from 1962, Vivre sa Vie, may have featured a better structural grasp on the chapter break-up, but here Varda seems to suggest that it's based upon both the limitation that time presents for someone like Cleo and for a post-modern break from traditional narrative.

Why be told simply "this is the end of a scene, this is the beginning, this is the middle?" With Varda, as with others from that age group in France making movies at the time, there were no firm rules except to be true to the artistic self, and as the camera and editing take on lives of their own and the star becomes something more as the film progresses, it to becomes a strong piece of art. Some it dated? Maybe, it's France over 45 years ago. But its impact remains due to its dedication to its character, to women living lives uncertain and odd, and to Paris.

Details

Official Sites:

Ciné Tamaris [France]

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

11 April 1962 (France)

Also Known As:

Cléo de 5 à 7

Filming Locations:

Rue du Pont-Neuf, Paris 1, Paris, France

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,886

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