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Synopsis

Agnès Varda eloquently captures Paris in the sixties with this real-time portrait of a singer (Corinne Marchand) set adrift in the city as she awaits test results of a biopsy. A chronicle of the minutes of one woman’s life, Cléo from 5 to 7 is a spirited mix of vivid vérité and melodrama, featuring a score by Michel Legrand (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) and cameos by Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina. —The Criterion Collection

Director

Original

Agnès Varda

Agnès Varda has been called the “Grandmother of the New Wave,” a well-meaning if curious tribute for a woman who directed her first feature film at the age of 26. Born in Brussels, Varda studied literature and psychology at the Sorbonne, and art history at the École du Louvre. She’d originally wanted to be a museum curator, but a night-school course in photography changed her mind. Rapidly establishing herself as a top-rank still photographer, Varda became the official cameraperson for the Theatre Festival of Avignon and the Theatre National Populaire, and then pursued a career as a photojournalist.

Encouraged by filmmaker Alain Resnais, Varda made her movie directorial bow in 1955 with La Pointe Courte. She based the film on a William Faulkner short story, to which she was attracted because of its parallel plotlines (a recurring device in her later films). That same year, she accompanied another future New Wave director, Chris Marker, to China as visual advisor for his Dimanche… read more

Wall

Displaying 4 of 63 wall posts.
Picture of Stephen Campbell

Stephen Campbell

8Feb12

Shot in real time Varda employs all her tricks to deliver a film of quality and resonance

Picture of Madison Killough

Madison Killough

20Jan12

I found this film took a realistic look on the relationships between men and women. Very identifiable. It really cleared my mind.

La Checc

28Oct11

I watched this movie for the first time some months ago in Paris, at Forum des images. I guess I'll always combine the movie itself with the experience of watching it in La ville lumière

Picture of Elisou

Elisou

26Oct11

Not unpleasant but there wasn't much of a story. But now thanks to Cléo, I like spot dresses :)

Related Films

Fans

Displaying 5 of 1865 fans.

Articles

Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
W184

La Varda

By Ryland Walker Knight on June 7, 2010

The Auteurs—MUBI's center for film curation—is collaborating with Agnès Varda to show the filmmaker's shorts and features online, many of which

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W184

Movie Posters of the Week: The Films of Agnès Varda

By Adrian Curry on June 4, 2010

To celebrate the Le cinema d’Agnès Varda, the virtual retrospective currently running on The Auteurs, I thought I'd take a look at Varda’s

read article
W184

Le cinéma d'Agnès Varda

By Notebook on June 3, 2010

Photo by Fabrizio Maltese/EF Press/fabriziomaltese.com. One of most exhilarating moments for us in Cannes a few weeks ago was announcing

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W184

Video Sundays: Auteur Pantomime in the Years 1961-2

By Daniel Kasman on November 22, 2009

(1) Agnès Varda and Jean-Luc Godard: (2) Jerry Lewis:

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Lists

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Reviews

Displaying 4 of 8

Brilliant Observations and Living in the Moment

By davecit​o ! on August 12, 2011

This is a brilliant film: well-directed, the cinematography is exceptional, and a wonderful story that is tighter, and smarter than it perhaps first seems.

When I first saw this, some 6 years…  read review

Untitled

By Drunken Father Figure of Old on October 3, 2009

I was really disappointed with this film. Or rather, parts of this film. Agnes Varda calls it a portrait of a woman painted onto a documentary of 1960’s Paris. The documentary part I like (the scene…  read review

Untitled

By Vonn on August 18, 2009

Cleo From 5 to 7 summed up in one sentence: In this worrisome world, life always finds a way to bring you back to serenity.

disheartenment —> reassurance -—> serenity….repeat…  read review

Untitled

By FilmCan​ner on June 19, 2009

“As long as I am beautiful I am even more alive than others.” This was an 90 minute journey from fear of the future and death, to acceptance (even love) of the present and life. One word for the plot…  read review

Forum

Displaying 3 discussion topics.

Agnes Varda's Cleo from 5 to 7 - free tickets

2 posts by 1 person almost 2 years ago

An essay. On:

2 posts by 2 people almost 2 years ago

Cléo on Stage

9 posts by 2 people over 2 years ago

DVD

Buy the DVD from The Criterion Collection.