4 by Agnès Varda

Some consider her a pioneer of the French New Wave, others a precursor, but however you pigeonhole AgnPs Varda, she's unquestionably one of the most significant French directors of the late 20th century, bringing a distinctively feminine perspective to her work. This sumptuous director-approved set includes two of Varda's best-known films: 1961's Cléo from 5 to 7, a “real time” tale of a superficial Parisian singer awaiting potentially devastating medical results, and 1985's Vagabond, a gripping story of the last hours in the life of a young drifter. The other two features are Varda's debut, 1954's La Pointe Courte, which juxtaposes the conversation between an estranged husband and wife with a quasi-documentary portrait of a seaside village, and 1965's provocative Le Bonheur, an almost jovial tale of adultery that culminates in a wife's suicide and its surprisingly blissful aftermath. Varda began her career as a photographer, and her skill at composition is evident in the films' exquisite images, but this quartet is also full of subtly biting emotional undercurrents. A characteristically generous Criterion Collection set, 4 by AgnPs Varda includes beautifully restored transfers of the films, as well as a wide array of bonus features—interviews, excerpts from television and radio broadcasts, retrospective documentaries (featuring members of the original casts, as well as townspeople from the films), and several of Varda's early shorts. A must for aficionados of postwar French filmmaking, this collection should be of wider interest as well. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (F. Swietek)