“I imagined a summer peach with its perfect colors, and inside, there is a worm. And impressionist paintings, which emanate such melancholy, though they depict scenes of everyday happiness. I listened to Mozart, and thought of death’s preponderance. I wrote the film fast and shot it fast, like the vivid brightness of our short-lived summers. In a world full of prefabricated images of happiness, it’s interesting to take apart the cliches.” - Agnes Varda on Le Bonheur
Agree with elcid. Everything is so perfect and it seems surreal and satirical. Seems its Varda's satirical take on how a man wants his life and Happiness.
Especially, once his wife is dead, he wants his lover to accept his love without much problem and life goes on and happiness prevails
seems like a little, ordinary movie but that last shot grows on you. there is something very disturbing and powerful lurking in this movie, like in the nature of humans.
and with the use of classical music and shots of the forest, i'm pretty sure this movie influenced tarkovsy's zerkalo.
Le Bonheur brilliantly exposes an imaginary contrast between the ultimate Stoic and the ultimate Hedonist—because death is not in his control the Stoic does not suffer, because he revels in polyamory the Hedonist does not suffer. In theory the former should represent virtue, the latter vice, but in reality the entire thing felt ugly because a natural life follows a sine wave, the distinction of happiness necessitates sadness. Similar to Trainspotting's “Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?”, the protagonist is escaping reality on a chemical as well.
I absolute love Varda's direction and stylistic choices, but what's going on with the story and character decisions? It really didn't ring true for me. I feel like Varda is intelligent enough for it to be intentional, i.e. it's meant to be ridiculous and therefore disturbing...? Hmm, odd one.
Okay, I can appreciate the finer philosophical points this film makes regarding love, monogamy, happiness and the mess we humans can make of it all but in the end all this amounts to, really is
man cheats on loving, beautiful wife but it's okay because he's poetic about it and only hurting her if she allows it to hurt her...which, surprise, it does...except life merrily goes on when you can replace ur first loving, beautiful wife with the woman you had an affair with after a bit of a cry....
. So, it's a bit difficult to truly enjoy this film when you're left feeling like the questions it raises don't get answers worthy of the subject...if that makes sense.
The first half of the movie made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The second half puzzled me. Moral? Life goes on? One gets a second chance at happiness? I'm not sure.
6/10
Pretty bland (intetsägande) movie, albeit good length and not boring. What does the film really wanna say in the end?
A real classic piece of art.
Add your comment
Comments 1 - 11 of 11
Dieguito
The definition of a beautiful movie! The thematic, the soundtrack, the colors, the daily life routine..beasterne
“I imagined a summer peach with its perfect colors, and inside, there is a worm. And impressionist paintings, which emanate such melancholy, though they depict scenes of everyday happiness. I listened to Mozart, and thought of death’s preponderance. I wrote the film fast and shot it fast, like the vivid brightness of our short-lived summers. In a world full of prefabricated images of happiness, it’s interesting to take apart the cliches.” - Agnes Varda on Le Bonheurtommy_leazaq
Agree with elcid. Everything is so perfect and it seems surreal and satirical. Seems its Varda's satirical take on how a man wants his life and Happiness.deckard.
seems like a little, ordinary movie but that last shot grows on you. there is something very disturbing and powerful lurking in this movie, like in the nature of humans.and with the use of classical music and shots of the forest, i'm pretty sure this movie influenced tarkovsy's zerkalo.
elcid
Man's psyche seeing through woman's perspective.Cynicus Rex
Le Bonheur brilliantly exposes an imaginary contrast between the ultimate Stoic and the ultimate Hedonist—because death is not in his control the Stoic does not suffer, because he revels in polyamory the Hedonist does not suffer. In theory the former should represent virtue, the latter vice, but in reality the entire thing felt ugly because a natural life follows a sine wave, the distinction of happiness necessitates sadness. Similar to Trainspotting's “Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?”, the protagonist is escaping reality on a chemical as well.LaSorciere
#gesamtkunstwerkflaiky
I absolute love Varda's direction and stylistic choices, but what's going on with the story and character decisions? It really didn't ring true for me. I feel like Varda is intelligent enough for it to be intentional, i.e. it's meant to be ridiculous and therefore disturbing...? Hmm, odd one.PrinceJax
Okay, I can appreciate the finer philosophical points this film makes regarding love, monogamy, happiness and the mess we humans can make of it all but in the end all this amounts to, really isClassicLady
The first half of the movie made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The second half puzzled me. Moral? Life goes on? One gets a second chance at happiness? I'm not sure.Emiam
6/10Pretty bland (intetsägande) movie, albeit good length and not boring. What does the film really wanna say in the end?
A real classic piece of art.