Main Cast: Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dominique Davray, Dorothée Blanc, Michel Legrand
Release Year: 1962
Country: FR/IT
Run Time: 90 minutes
Plot
Cleo From 5 to 7 (Cleo de cinq a sept), per its title, concentrates on two hours in the life of a woman. Those hours are desperate ones, in that Cleo, a pop singer, awaits the results of her tests for cancer. Director Agnes Varda stages the film in "real" rather than subjective time, its various episodes divided into chapters, using significant Tarot cards. During the allotted time, Cleo visits her friends, tries to sing her worries away, spends money, and cries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Writer/director Agnes Varda's Cléo de 5 à 7 is one of the more unassuming works in the French New Wave -- it has neither the historical gravity of, say, Alain Resnais's Hiroshima Mon Amour nor the shock value of Jean-Luc Godard's À Bout de Souffle -- but in its own quiet way, it offers offers a meticulous record of one woman's capacity to observe, dream, and feel. In near real-time, we follow pop singer Cléo (Corrine Marchand) as she waits for her doctor's verdict on a cancer test; though the subject matter is heart-rending, Varda's athletic direction prevents the film from becoming a cloying weepie. In true New Wave fashion, she incorporates any technique that suits her needs: a meandering soundtrack that picks up ancillary characters' conversations; subjective point-of-view shots; titles that separate the film into "chapters"; and documentary-style snatches of street life. Instead of cluttering the film, Varda's flourishes have a breezy, existential quality that underscores Cléo's impending news without trivializing her predicament. Marchand aids the director immensely; her intuitive performance suggests a brainier Marilyn Monroe afflicted with spiritual malaise. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
Cléo from 5 to 7 (French: Cléo de 5 à 7) is a 1962Rive Gauchefilm by Agnès Varda. The story depicts the life of a young singer, Florence "Cléo" Victoire, between 5 and 6:30 on the evening of June 22 in Paris.
The film is noted for its handling of several of the themes of existentialism, including discussions of mortality, the idea of despair, and leading a meaningful life. The film has a strong feminine viewpoint and raises questions about how women are perceived. The role of mirrors are prevalent to symbolize self-obsession.
Cléo (played by Corinne Marchand) is a pop singer who wanders around Paris while she awaits her biopsy results in fear she may have cancer. As Cléo readies herself to meet with her doctor at 7 o'clock, she meets with several friends and strangers while trying to grapple with mortality.
Sensing indifference from those nearest to her, she finds herself questioning the doll-like image people have of her and is overcome by a feeling of solitude and helplessness. She finally finds some comfort in the company of stranger she meets in a park (Parc Montsouris) and with whom she is able to have a sincere conversation. He accompanies her to the hospital (Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital), where she meets the doctor who will give her the results of the exam.
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