A Month of Agnes

[osprey_archer]

In my researches into films directed by women (note: this has consisted largely of admiring gifsets), I have discovered three directors named Agnes: Agnès Varda, Agnès Jaoui, and Agnieszka Holland. (I realize the last one is a variation on the theme, but bear with me.) Obviously there is only one thing to do with this information: a month of Agnes!

Probably August, because it also starts with A, which is as good a reason as any.

This is going to be a very full month. The three Agneses have been fairly prolific (for female directors, who I have discovered often have looong gaps in their filmographies because of difficulties getting funding) so I shall have to pick and choose.

I've already seen & loved one Agnès Jaoui film, Look at Me (which conveniently I own), and in fact have been meaning to see more of her movies for years, and the only one Netflix has available is Let It Rain so it will have to be that.

Agnieszka Holland is perhaps best-known for The Secret Garden (I say this 100% because I have seen The Secret Garden and loved it. Clearly it is time to rewatch it), but she also has a film called Total Eclipse about the relationship between Verlaine and Rimbaud and I will be there with bells on for that.

And ideally, I would do three Vardas, so as to get an overview of her long career: Cleo from 9 to 5 (1961), Vagabond (1985), and Faces Places (2017). (The IU cinema had an Agnès Varda retrospective within the last few years and I am just kicking myself for not going to see any of the movies. Alas!) However, this is a lot of movies to cram into one month! So we'll see how many I manage, come August. Let's just hope I don't find any more Agneses before then.

Comments

[sovay]

Probably August, because it also starts with A, which is as good a reason as any.

I like this plan and I hope you enjoy it.

[osprey_archer]

What would life be without strangely satisfying arbitrary plans?

[asakiyume]

Regarding film availability, I just wanted to add that sometimes you can get things through interlibrary loan through the public library system, if there's something you want to see that isn't on Netflix (thinking about what you say about your Agnès Jaoui choices)--but it seems like even if you don't have much choice when it comes to her, you have lots for the others, so... maybe this is a heads up for other occasions.

[osprey_archer]

I don't use the library for movies very much because I've gotten a lot of scratched/unplayable DVDs in the past, I think because no one wants to report the DVDs damaged and maybe get charged for it. And, as you say, there are a great many Agnes choices.

Also, sticking almost entirely to things on Netflix is one way of keeping my to-watch list somewhat manageable. I don't understand how people have subscriptions to Hulu and Netflix and Crunchyroll and HBO and a couple of music streaming sites and... where do they find the time?

[asakiyume]

I think some people have time turners. There's no other explanation.