I really do not care if this film, impeccably directed by Agnes Varda is ' subversive ' or not, or what she thought of the subject matter. On the surface it is about a man Francois, played well by Jean-Claude Drouot and his so-called right to have two lovers at the same time, and expecting his wife and lover to appreciate his magnificent virility and his equal love for both of them. I saw it when it came out in Paris in 1965 and loathed it, and seeing it again ( for the second time ) in my later years. I still loathe it, and I kind of respect the 20 year old, that I was, for disliking it. Dissecting the word ' bonheur ' it really means ' good hour ' and this for me, does not mean happiness. ' The Happiness ' was the English title, and they should have left it in French. And yes Francois does live his good hour going from one woman to another, and in revealing to his devoted wife what he is up to he goes into a speech that I wanted to hit him over the head for. Rhapsodic callousness truly does belong to the good hour, and that hour rapidly passes. I will not spoil the consequences of ' his ' choice of loving, and it is in my opinion appalling to watch. Varda is ambiguous here giving the audience Mozart's Adagio and Fugue in C Minor, using the adagio for the good hour and the Fugue for the horror of what happens after it, and there are even golden leaves to signify Autumn. It is true the Springtime of the heart has darkened but her visual use of image and music is on the surface superficial. And I repeat I have absolutely no idea what she was trying to convey in this film. But I know what the youth of 20 felt; repulsion, and my partner of the time loved the freedom to choose, and that was the end of my illusions concerning certain males who have a seemingly divine right to trample over feelings while living their own ' bonheur. ' I give it a reluctant 4 because it is beautiful to watch, and seductive in its to me nasty way. The fading in and out of scenes in colour is expertly done, and is well worth watching for that.
Review of Happiness
