Slideshow
L’Opéra-Mouffe and Other Shorts
Ô saisons, ô châteaux
France, 1958
Directed by Agnès Varda
In French with English subtitles
Approx. 22 min.
Varda’s first short film, and her first in color, was commissioned by the National Tourism Board to promote castles in the Loire Valley. Varda playfully includes digressions such as a colorful fashion show, a montage of gardeners at work set to jazz music, and a clip from a 1908 film.
L’Opéra-Mouffe
France, 1958
Directed by Agnès Varda
In French with English subtitles
Approx. 17 min.
A free-spirited film about her neighborhood near the Rue Mouffetard, with scenes showing the filmmaker pregnant with her daughter, Rosalie, L’Opera Mouffe was made at the invitation of Belgian curator Jacques Ledoux for his experimental film festival. “Here documentary is transformed into a visual commentary on love and death, birth and old age.” – Richard Roud
Du côté de la côte
France, 1958
Directed by Agnès Varda
In French with English subtitles
Approx. 28 min.
Another National Tourism Board commission, this time to celebrate the Riviera, the film is filled with visual gags and vibrant color photography. It was shown in theaters with HIROSHIMA, MON AMOUR, an important break for Varda. “Hints at the magic of a real Garden of Eden, underlying images of a noisy, whirling, pleasure seeking throng of rich and poor holiday makers.” – Monthly Film Bulletin
The Vanishing Lion
Directed by Agnès Varda
France, 2003
In French with English subtitles
Approx. 12 mins.
For a planned omnibus of shorts about the arrondissements of Paris, Varda intended to focus on the statue of a lion in the 14th. When both the statue and producer disappeared, Varda turned the film into a whimsical romance and included a cat to save the day.
Les Trois Boutons
France, 2015
Directed by Agnès Varda
In French with English subtitles
Approx. 11 mins.
A rural teen girl is interrupted from milking a goat by the arrival of a magical floating pink dress. In Varda’s feminist fantasia, the girl takes a time-hopping trip through caves and winds up in Paris, Varda’s home street, Rue Daguerre. Commissioned by Miu Miu for their ongoing film series Women’s Tales.