The director Martin Scorsese said “broke all the forms of what a film should be”
When Martin Scorsese began making movies in the 1960s, he was inspired by the buzz of cinematic movements that were happening in other countries, which he had witnessed as he was growing up and studying the medium. He took inspiration from many European filmmakers who were pioneering new modes of filmmaking, and one of these was Agnes Varda.
While the French New Wave was predominantly led by male filmmakers like Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut, Varda stood out as a female director, bringing a well-needed feminine perspective to the era. While most of the French New Wave consisted of dedicated cinephiles who began as film critics, Varda was a photographer who stumbled into filmmaking without much knowledge of cinema.
She made her debut feature, La Pointe Courte, in 1955, and many consider it to be the first proper entry to the French New Wave. However, because it wasn’t released worldwide for decades later, it is often ignored. It was Varda’s 1962 film Cleo from 5 to 7 which propelled her to international acclaim instead, and it has since become staple viewing for film students across the world.
Scorsese has always admired Varda’s approach to filmmaking, which is so full of love and passion. Every film exudes personality, often blurring the lines between fiction and documentary. Varda’s presence is always apparent, with every frame feeling lovingly crafted. Often working with bright colours and an experimental multimedia approach (like inserting photographs into the narrative), Varda’s style was wholly unique.
She also used cinema as a social and political tool, exploring themes like male oppression, reproductive rights, patriarchal beauty standards, race, class, and motherhood. Varda inspired many directors during her long career, and Scorsese didn’t hesitate to sing her praises.
In the book Agnes Varda: Director’s Inspiration, Scorsese called the filmmaker “one of the gods of cinema.” He explained that they became friends in the early 1970s and she would often show up while he was filming, although she “never had an ulterior motive,” he assured, “She just wanted to talk.”
“I always made time for Agnes. I guess I wanted her approval,” he continued. “Agnes broke all the forms of what a film should be. When I think of making a film, my mind goes right to feature length, the old theatrical experience. But Agnes never stuck to that. She made films of all shapes and sizes as she was moved to.”
Scorsese also shared that his favourite Varda movies are Cleo from 5 to 7 and Le Bonheur, both of which she made in the 1960s. She called them her “old” films; Varda was constantly working with new technology and progressing her practice. “In Truffaut’s and Godard’s films, women were often the main characters. In Bergman’s films as well. But Cleo was different,” he wrote. “I found myself concerned for her in a way that was different from other movies.”
The director admired the “lightness” and “true lyricism” that defined the movie, highlighting that it was “unlike anything else being made at the time.”
He added, “It got me thinking about women in a totally different way” – a testament to Varda’s dedication to championing a female point of view.
Without Varda, Scorsese’s approach to documentaries might look very different, too. “All the documentaries I made–that impulse, which became a practice, really comes from Agnes’s example and our conversations and friendship.”
