Le Bonheur (1965)

François, a young carpenter, lives a happy, uncomplicated life with his wife Thérèse and their two small children. One day he meets Emilie, a clerk in the local post office.

Director:

Agnès Varda

Writer:

Agnès Varda

Stars:

Jean-Claude Drouot, Marie-France Boyer, Marcelle Faure-Bertin

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jean-Claude Drouot	...	François Chevalier
Marie-France Boyer	...	Émilie Savignard
Marcelle Faure-Bertin	...	(as Marcelle Favre-Bertin)
Manon Lanclos
Sylvia Saurel
Marc Eyraud	...	J. Forestier - le frère de François
Christian Riehl
Paul Vecchiali	...	Paul

Storyline

Francois is a young carpenter married with Therese. They have two little children. All goes well, life is beautiful, the sun shines and the birds sing. One day, Francois meets Emilie, they fall in love and become lovers. He still loves his wife and wants to share his new greater happiness with her.

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Plot Keywords:

family relationships | france | love triangle | infidelity | carpenter | 

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Taglines:

Seule, une femme pouvait oser faire ce film

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #420.

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Goofs

At roughly 06:30, when François helps his daughter open the car back door, a cameraman's reflection is clearly visible in the car door window.

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Quotes

François Chevalier: Were you sad?
Émilie Savignard: Not that much. I don't like sadness.

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Connections

Features Picnic on the Grass (1959)

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Soundtracks

Adagio and Fugue in C minor - KV 546
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

User Reviews

Sheer beauty and subversion

At first sight, Le Bonheur seems just a conventional film, with everything being too perfect. Each single frame is a beautiful picture in composition and color. We see a happily married couple, with charming and beautiful children, nice family picnics in the country, the sublime music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in two of his most beautiful pieces (Adagio and Fugue in C minor and the Clarinet Quintet). Happiness (Bonheur) and harmony is everywhere.

But then the husband meets another woman, very different from his wife, falls in love with her, and proposes a thesis: for him, happiness is not a subtractive affair - it all adds up. After being in love with his new lover, he manages to love his wife and children even more. Love, happiness, harmony should never be too much, Agnès Varda seems to say. But is it possible? Or, better: do people make it possible? Shouldn't it be possible?

That's why this apparently bourgeois film is, in fact, revolutionary. It proposes a new vision on certain matters that is, ultimately, extremely subversive. And it does so in a most contrasting environment.

That said, it has some of the most gorgeous images in film to look at. The use of colour is amazing. And, exactly for being so beautiful, the conclusion is so shocking.

In short: one of the most important films in History, one of the most subversive, and certainly one of the most beautiful. We can only say: thank you, Agnès Varda, for making it. Hope people will understand it better, in the future, and grasp the challenge you have cast.

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

16 May 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Happiness

Filming Locations:

Avenue de Verdun, Fontenay-aux-Roses, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Parc Film

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1