Remembering Agnès Varda
Words by Liam Horgan.
It’s hard to sum up a filmmaker like Agnès Varda. Equal parts innovator, artist, and activist, Agnès Varda was a true cinematic pioneer. If you’ve never heard of Agnès Varda, I encourage you to go and watch one of her films immediately. Lovingly called a ‘god of cinema’ by Scorsese himself, Varda was and is a true artist. Born in Belgium, Varda started off as a photographer before shifting focus to filmmaking. Starting her filmmaking career before the advent of the French New Wave, Varda’s work nonetheless contains many elements associated with the iconic movement.
A still of Varda opposite her younger self from ‘Faces Places’ (‘Visages Villages’)
Though often regarded as the ‘mother’ of the New Wave, Varda’s career was more wide ranging and long lasting than the majority of the Wave’s innovators. Varda’s filmography consists of a combination of short films, features and documentaries and is known for its social commentary touching on feminist issues. In fact, Varda was one of 343 women who, in 1971, signed the “Manifesto of the 343 Sluts”, also known as the “Manifesto of the 343”, a letter asking for the legalisation of abortion, with each signee admitting to having had one, despite it being illegal at the time in France. Varda’s work provides a gaze into the feminine experience, dealing with many different themes over a long and varied career. Some stand out films are, of course, Varda’s sophomore feature Cléo from 5 to 7 (1961), One Sings, the Other Doesn't (1977) and Vagabond (1985). Three distinct films featuring different women but united in their approach to telling women’s stories. As Varda put it;
“I think I was a feminist before being born. I had a feminist chromosome somewhere.”
Throughout her work, Varda focused heavily on marginalised groups, those at odds with society and minority figures. From the people of Cuba to the Black Panthers, Varda travelled widely in search of interesting subjects for her camera. This passion for humanity can be seen in her Oscar nominated Faces Places. Teaming with artist JR, Varda traverses across France meeting many individuals and hearing their stories. It is but a sample of a director’s work overflowing with creativity, self-reflection and passion.
Varda on set with her husband.
I would be remiss to not mention Varda’s husband, fellow filmmaker Jacques Demy. The couple were married in 1962 until Demy’s death in 1990. Demy is often mentioned in Varda’s work. The love she felt for her husband was evident in the ways in which she spoke of him. Indeed, Varda’s film Jacquot de Nantes is a tribute to Demy’s early life. Made during her husband’s twilight years, the film blends documentary, narrative filmmaking and scenes from the couple’s filmography. This film is still shown in French schools. It is a portrait of an artist through the eyes of someone who loved him the most.
Varda is a director whose playfulness will be sorely missed. At heart a bright personality, Varda never missed an opportunity for amusement. In Faces Places one of the lighter moments comes when JR pushes Varda through the empty halls of the Louvre, the sequence itself a nod to Jean Luc Godard’s Bande à Part. In Gleaners and I, while driving, Varda pretends to catch oncoming traffic in her hand. These brief moments of levity are found throughout Varda’s filmography. One of my favourite moments in Varda’s films appears in her autobiographical documentary Beaches of Agnès. In one memorable sequence Varda recreates a moment from her childhood. On the shorefront the then-80-year-old director plays her childhood self as she dances playfully. It’s a moment of innocence, self-reflection and nostalgia. With self-reflection a common theme in Agnès Varda’s films, her style caters to it. Often the director plays with still images, multiple frames, choppy editing - all things used in the French New Wave. In Varda’s hands though, this style transcends unconventionality and becomes normal in Varda’s world.
As unconventional as Varda’s work is, it is never inaccessible as the director knows how to draw audiences into her world. And what a wonderful world it is. Full of life, joy and humanity. Agnès Varda will forever be a unique cinematic voice. Emerging at a time of great cinematic change, enduring throughout and never straying far from her unique worldview. Always listening, always learning and always evolving, much can be learned from the iconic director. In the director's own words;
“I'm curious. Period. I find everything interesting. Real life. Fake life. Objects. Flowers. Cats. But mostly people. If you keep your eyes open and your mind open, everything can be interesting.”
Agnès Varda is truly deserving of her legacy, long may it endure.
You can stream some of Varda’s work on Volta and the BFI player.
