Agnès Varda died on Friday – an event that I had to mark in some way. There is no real connection between Varda and silent cinema, apart from that irreverent interlude in Cléo de 5 à 7 (1962). However, her films meant a great deal to me, so this is a very small tribute. This video is a condensed version of a talk I gave at BFI Southbank on 2 June last year as part of an event called The Many Faces of Agnès Varda, in collaboration with Cléo. I was asked to discuss women and feminism in Varda’s films. Here are a few thoughts, inspired by her beautiful body of work.
If you don’t know her work, two of the films that I discuss here, Le Bonheur (1965) and Vagabond (1985), are streaming on Mubi right now. I highly recommend both.
Silent London 
Thank you for this Pam. There is a Varda triple bill at the Barbican on 21 May. Daguerréotypes + Diary of a Pregnant Woman + The So-Called Caryatids
Oh that will be amazing!
It’s a lovely tribute, Pam. I’ve been working my way through her films (gradually) and they have such a strong sense of humanity to them. At 90 she certainly had a good innings, but I also think that she had much more to say.
Thanks, K. So glad you are enjoying the films! And you’re right, she was bursting with ideas and messages.