The Lovely Month of May

"So, how are you feeling?"

1963 2h 45m FR

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 42

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Candid interviews of ordinary people on the meaning of happiness, an often amorphous and inarticulable notion that evokes more basic and fundamentally egalitarian ideals of self-betterment, prosperity, tolerance, economic opportunity, and freedom.

“So, how are you feeling?”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Yves Montand
Narrator (French version) (voice)
Chris Marker
Self / Interviewer (voice)
Jean-Luc Godard
Self (uncredited)
Anna Karina
Self (uncredited)
Edgar Morin
Self (uncredited)
Alain Resnais
Self (uncredited)
Jacques Rivette
Self (uncredited)
Jean Rouch
Self (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Chris Marker
Writers: Catherine Winter, Chris Marker
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 165 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

63 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Chris Marker, shot by Étienne Becker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michel Legrand. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Madeleine Lecompère shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Yves Montand and Chris Marker and Jean-Luc Godard carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "So, how are you feeling?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Chris Marker directs. Étienne Becker behind the camera. Michel Legrand scores. Madeleine Lecompère cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 165 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
263 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Chris Marker, shot by Étienne Becker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Michel Legrand. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Madeleine Lecompère shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Yves Montand and Chris Marker and Jean-Luc Godard carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "So, how are you feeling?".
9IMDB entry: tt0057202 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 42 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 13 themes, including "paris, france", "city portrait", "interview", "cinéma vérité".