AGNES Varda, at 80 years old the grande dame of the French New Wave, is on a Belgian beach. “I’m playing the role of a little old lady, pleasantly plump and talkative, telling her life story,” she says staring into the camera.
Thus begins Varda’s “The Beaches of Agnes,” a sentimental, whimsical autobiography.
First some history: Varda started out half a century ago when people such as Godard, Truffaut, Rohmer and Rivette changed the rules of filmmaking.
Her films include “Vagabond” (1985), “Cleo From 5 to 7” (1961) and “Le Bonheur” (1964). She was married to fellow New Waver Jacques Demy, best know for “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (1964). He died in 1990; she continues to make movies.
In “The Beaches of Agnes,” Varda — petite, chubby and sporting her trademark helmet of hair — uses interviews, clips from her old movies, family photos, reconstructions and the power of memory to reminisce.
The house in Belgium where she grew up, her days in Paris during the Occupation, her and Jacques’ sojourn in Hollywood, her encounter with the Black Panthers, her time in Havana (during which she photographed Castro), the early days of the New Wave: All that and more are touched upon in this beautifully photographed film.
After watching “The Beaches of Agnes,” I am left with three impressions of Varda: She loves life, she loves cinema, and she still loves the dearly departed Demy. “He is the most cherished of the dead,” she laments.
THE BEACHES OF AGNES
Life’s a beach.
In French, with English subtitles. Running time: 109 minutes.
Not rated (artistic nudity). At Film Forum, Houston Street, west of Sixth Avenue.