Le bonheur

Film Info

France
1965
80 minutes
Color
1.66:1
French
Spine #420

Though married to the good-natured, beautiful Thérèse (Claire Drouot), young husband and father François (Jean-Claude Drouot) finds himself falling unquestioningly into an affair with an attractive postal worker. One of Agnès Varda’s most provocative films, Le bonheur examines, with a deceptively cheery palette and the spirited strains of Mozart, the ideas of fidelity and happiness in a modern, self-centered world.

Cast

François	Jean-Claude Drouot
Therese	Claire Drouot
Emilie	Marie-Françoise Boyer

Credits

Director	Agnès Varda
Screenplay	Agnès Varda
Producer	Mag Bodard
Cinematography	Jean Rabier and Claude Beausoleil
Editing	Janine Verneau

Disc Features

New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Agnès Varda
The Two Women of “Le bonheur” (2006), a short piece featuring actors Claire Drouot and Marie-France Boyer
Thoughts on “Le bonheur” (2006), a discussion between four scholars and intellectuals discussing the concept of happiness and its relation to the film
Two short pieces by Varda investigating people’s idea of happiness
Jean-Claude Drouot Returns (2006), a featurette in which the actor revisits the film’s setting forty years later
Segment from the 1964 television program Démons et merveilles du cinéma, featuring footage of Varda shooting Le bonheur
Interview with Varda from 1998 about Le bonheur
Du Côté de la côte (1958), a short film by Varda exploring the tourist destination of the Côte d’Azur
Theatrical trailer
New and improved English subtitle translation