Life's A Beach
Agnès Varda's film oeuvre (including "Vagabond," "Cleo from 5 to 7," and "The Gleaners and I") is beautifully enriched by this auto-panegyric. Her erudition, creativity, and enthusiasm for art and life are on full display in her" Beaches of Agnes."
This autobiographical documentary, or "cinematic self portrait" is incredibly intricate and moving - like all of her work. In it she tackles she and Jacques Demy's love, covers a 60's- 70's socio-political history in which she was a part, includes many entertaining mini-biopics on dear friends [from Jim Morrison to Harrison Ford to Chris Marker], and is a wonderfully crafted, masterfully edited braid of her life as she has lived it. "Beaches of Agnes" is a deeply moving and personal film, which through her raw talent with film and storytelling, Varda metes out so much useful and enriching information. A must-see for the Varda fan, as well as for the film/arts enthusiast - delivered personally from the mother of the French New Wave movement.
As with most of Agnès Varda's films, there are great "boni," her favored Latin term for bonus materials. This Cinema Guild/Cine Tamaris includes: two shorts by Varda on the making of the film: "Around Trapeze Artists," and "Daguerre-Beach";"Le lion volatil," and 12-minute long short directed by AV.
