ornamental line

Not As Sweet

"'I don't like sadness.'"
Agnès Varda's Happiness (1965)


Points for Reflection

Agnès Varda's Happiness [Le Bonheur] (1965)

  1. What atmosphere does Agnes Varda create during the opening credits of her third film?  Consider visuals and sound both.
  2. Does the film’s musical score, which employs both Amadeus Mozart’s “Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K.546” (1788) and his “Clarinet Quintet in A major, K.58 (1789), provide a tonal counterpoint to the plot, or does it align in both tempo and tone with the film’s action and thematic material?
  3. What do fades to solid colors like green, blue, red, and orange connote throughout the film?  Do particular hues signal certain tonalities to ending or beginning scenes, or does Varda appear to deploy these colors randomly?
  4. At what points does Varda employ a shallow depth of field while allowing the human subjects in frame to remain out of focus for an extended period of time?  What does this choice suggest about scenes captured this way?
  5. At what moments does the camera capture a character’s point of view with an out-of-focus shot?
  6. Can you identify anything problematic in the opening, post-credit scene, or all does all appear well—perfect even?
  7. Do Thérèse and Francois appear equally effective as parents in the opening?
  8. What kind of gendered dynamic is modeled between the lovers sitting at the base of a tree in the snippet of the satiric film Picnic on the Grass (1959) playing at the home of Jo Forestier (Francois’s brother)?
  9. How would you characterize Francois’s and Thérèse’s socioeconomic status?
  10. At what moments does Francois behave in a youthful, even child-like way, and do these moments normalize him, make him seem odd, or in any other way shape your understanding of his character?
  11. What comments do others make about Thérèse’s and Francois’s marriage?
  12. Does Thérèse’s and Francois’s relationship show any signs of wear and tear, or distress?
  13. Is the carpenter shop run by Francois’s uncle a particularly male space?
  14. Which of the stamps discussed by Émilie and her coworker provide an oblique commentary on the plot?
  15. How does Varda generate tension, visually and otherwise, when constructing the coffee shop scene?
  16. Why does Varda keep altering focus away from her main characters during the coffee drinking scene at Le Château?
  17. Why is Émilie moving to Fontenay-aux-Roses?
  18. Why might Varda cut together Thérèse’s and Francois’s conversation at home--while they’re both working--in a way that prevents the viewer (for nearly a minute) from seeing the person who’s talking while they’re talking (30:10-31:10)?
  19. Why might Varda weave a young couple’s wedding into this tale?
  20. When cutting back and forth swiftly between the two individuals walking about in Émilie’s Fontenay flat and Émelie’s possessions scattered around the floor, on which does the camera spend most of its time?
  21. At what points is the word “happiness” [le bonheur] spoken aloud?
  22. When everyone else is toasting baby Isabelle with champagne, whom does Thérèse toast?
  23. Whose daily life appears more attractive to you, Émilie’s or Thérèse’s?
  24. Is Francois a romantic?  Does he go out of his way to woo?
  25. During a dance party attended by most of our main characters, which characters dance together, and how does Varda’s camera work mix and match these whirling figures?
  26. How does Thérèse’s facial expression change as she dances?
  27. How does Varda construct an extended sexual encounter mid-film, visually?
  28. Does this intimacy appear earned, and deep?
  29. Why did Thérèse decide not to take the job offered by a prospect client?
  30. How does Thérèse respond when Francois calls his wife “dessert”?
  31. One day at the workshop, John and a younger man (unnamed) voice very different perspectives on dating and romance.  Does Francois himself align more with one point of view than the other?
  32. How does Francois define “love”?
  33. Do the portraits on Émilie’s wall (57:24) appear similar to, or different from, those on the wall of the woodshop?
  34. Can we identify issues in Thérèse’s and Francois’s marriage which could grow if unaddressed?
  35. What does Thérèse ask Francois before they visit the countryside a third time?
  36. What does Thérèse remove from Francois’s hands in an effort to encourage him to open up?
  37. What do Francois’s metaphorical descriptions of his marriage reveal about his understanding of intimacy?
  38. As Francois explains his secret, what does the camera do?
  39. Does Thérèse respond honestly, in transparent fashion, to Francois’s countryside revelation?
  40. Francois speaks gently, in a reasonable tone, throughout the marital tête-à-téte in the woods.  Does he do or say anything that troubles you as a viewer?
  41. REDUX: At what points is the word “happiness” [le bonheur] spoken aloud?
  42. Why might Thérèse have picked flowers while walking near the river?
  43. While Francois walks about the river with his kids, a couple men stare at him for a prolonged period of time.  Why might Varda allow for these odd moments?
  44. What does Émilie attempt to create with sticks?
  45. What season is it at the end of the film?


One poster of film Happiness (French: Le Bonheur) with profile shot of woman on right looking at flower-shaped circles containing scenes of married life
Le Bonheur (1965)
one sheet

 



Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu