Happiness

"Only a woman could dare to make this film."

1965 1h 20m FR

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 320

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Though married to the good-natured, beautiful Thérèse, young husband and father François finds himself falling unquestioningly into an affair with an attractive postal worker. One of Agnès Varda's most provocative films, 'Le bonheur' examines, with a deceptively cheery palette and the spirited strains of Mozart, the ideas of fidelity and happiness in a modern, self-centered world.

“Only a woman could dare to make this film.”

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Cast

Jean-Claude Drouot
François Chevalier
Claire Drouot
Thérèse Chevalier
Olivier Drouot
Pierrot Chevalier
Sandrine Drouot
Gisou Chevalier
Marie-France Boyer
Émilie Savignard
Marcelle Faure-Bertin
Bertin
Manon Lanclos
Mrs. Mesquier
Sylvia Saurel
Yvette Mercier

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Agnès Varda
Writers: Agnès Varda
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

80 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

61 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Agnès Varda, shot by Claude Beausoleil. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jean-Claude Drouot and Claire Drouot and Olivier Drouot carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Only a woman could dare to make this film.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0058985 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Agnès Varda directs. Claude Beausoleil behind the camera. Jean-Michel Defaye scores. Janine Verneau cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

180 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
261 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Agnès Varda, shot by Claude Beausoleil. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jean-Michel Defaye. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Janine Verneau shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Jean-Claude Drouot and Claire Drouot and Olivier Drouot carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Only a woman could dare to make this film.".
8IMDB entry: tt0058985 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Released under 27 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Claude Beausoleil
Original score: Jean-Michel Defaye
Editing: Janine Verneau
Production design: Hubert Monloup
Costume design: Claude François
Makeup / hair: Serge Groffe
Runtime: 80 min · 1h 20m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
Certification (US): 18
IMDB: Happiness (1965)

Awards

Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Agnès Varda

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-05-14
★ 7/10
Ha! Talk about having your cake and eating it! "François" (Jean-Claude Drouot) is happily married to "Thérèse" (Claire Drouot) and living in a small apartment with their two children "Pierrot" and "Gisou". They are a loving couple and seem perfectly content with life. Then "François" is despatched to do some work away from home and when calling his boss from the post office encounters "Émilie" (Marie-France Boyer) with whom he swaps a smile. That's just the beginning as the two chat a little, flirt a little and then... Now he isn't a bad man in any malevolent sense, he genuinely loves his wife and makes it clear to his new friend that she will always take priority - a situation that "Émilie" appears to be quite willing to accept - albeit reservedly. Thing is, on a family picnic he decides that it's only fair that his wife know the truth. On the face of it, at least that's an half way honest thing to do but, well you'll have to watch and see. There’s something unnervingly inconclusive about this film. Nobody is inherently bad or evil or even deliberately thoughtless, yet he is possibly one of the most selfish people I've ever seen (benignly) portrayed in cinema. He genuinely thinks his cherry-picking, almost like a job-share, arrangement will satisfy these women. It's tightly cast with a sufficient minimum of dialogue to augment a story that is surprisingly thought-provoking to watch. Maybe a little over-scored but well worth eighty minutes before a denouement that might make you want to look your own partner in the eye! Or maybe into a mirror...?

Production companies