Comparing Cleo From 5-7, Agnes Varda And My Left Foot

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Question #1: Two non-Hollywood films we screened in class that help demonstrate the conventions of the melodrama film genre are Cleo from 5-7, Agnes Varda (1962) and My Left Foot by Jim Sheridan (1989). These two films demonstrate the influence of melodrama by playing into the many traditional conventions we see as classic Hollywood melodrama. This genre has spread and is essential worldwide, as one of these films is French, and the other is Irish. Cleo from 5-7 revolves around Cleo, played by Corinne Marchand. The film follows her day of fear, consisting of her avoidance of the doctor thinking she may be dying from cancer. Throughout her day off the crisis, we see many elements of melodrama through intense emotions as Cleo grasps her potential death. Her emotional journey is dramatic due to the uncertainty of her well-being. Similarly, we …show more content…

This film plays into this through the experimental narrative of the film. This film breaks many of the conventional narrative structures in filmmaking, being what originally started the new wave movement. The visual aspects of the film are unique due to the dream-like aspect of the filming that creates a slower, more uncertain feeling when screening. The long takes and outlandish camera angles contribute to this film's new style. Cleo from 5-7 is a French new wave film primarily due to the documentary style of filming that makes this film different from many. Along with Picnic at Hanging Rock, this film has an unconventional narrative structure as the whole movie takes place in such a brief period, which was highly unconventional for Cinema during this time. The hand-held filming in this film portrays the film's everyday nature and reality, capturing life in Paris through the lens of Cleo's day. New Wave films have a strong emphasis on daily

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