Cléo from 5 to 7

Cléo from 5 to 7
Original poster
Directed by	Agnès Varda
Produced by	Georges de Beauregard
Starring	Corinne Marchand Antoine Bourseiller Dominique Davray Dorothée Blanc Michel Legrand
Music by	Michel Legrand
Cinematography	Jean Rabier Alain Levent
Editing by	Rose Sokol Janine Verneau
Release dates	11 April 1962 (1962-04-11)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	France Italy
Language	French

Cléo from 5 to 7 (French: Cléo de 5 à 7) is a 1962 Left Bank film by Agnès Varda. The story starts with a young singer, Florence "Cléo" Victoire, at 5pm on June 22, as she waits until 6:30pm to hear the results of a medical test that will possibly confirm a diagnosis of cancer. The film is noted for its handling of several of the themes of existentialism, including discussions of mortality, the idea of despair, and leading a meaningful life. The film has a strong feminine viewpoint and raises questions about how women are perceived. The role of mirrors are prevalent to symbolize self-obsession.

The film includes cameos by Jean-Luc Godard, Anna Karina, Eddie Constantine and Jean-Claude Brialy as characters in the silent film Raoul shows Cléo and Dorothée, while composer Michel Legrand, who wrote the film's score, plays "Bob the pianist". It was entered into the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.^[1]

Plot

Cléo (played by Corinne Marchand) is a pop singer who wanders around Paris while she awaits her medical test results. As Cléo kills time until she is able to phone the doctor for her medical results in the evening, she meets with several friends and strangers while trying to grapple with her own mortality.

Sensing indifference from those nearest to her, she finds herself questioning the doll-like image people have of her and is overcome by a feeling of solitude and helplessness. She finally finds some comfort in the company of a stranger, who turns out to be a soldier in the Algerian War, she meets in a park (Parc Montsouris) and with whom she is able to have a sincere conversation. He accompanies her to the Salpêtrière Hospital, where she will meet the doctor who will give her the results of the exam.

References

External links

• Cléo from 5 to 7 at the Internet Movie Database
• Cleo from 5 to 7 at allmovie
• Details from the Criterion Collection