Le Bonheur (Happiness) (1965)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Bruce B

  
  After seeing this film I now know why the french enjoyed our American Westerns so much, this movie suxs, Its so slow and finally at the end they had a point. Must say i do like those french women, I mean after all where else are you gonna find a women who is happy for her husband when… More
  After seeing this film I now know why the french enjoyed our American Westerns so much, this movie suxs, Its so slow and finally at the end they had a point. Must say i do like those french women, I mean after all where else are you gonna find a women who is happy for her husband when she finds out he has a second lover. Its from the Criterion collection, thats 2 in a row that have sucked. Pass it up unless your a french female.

• Walter M

  
  In "Le Bonheur," Francois(Jean-Claude Drouot) and Therese(Claire Drouot) are a young married couple, parents of two children, and very much in love. On Sundays, they enjoy going to the country while during the week, they work at their respective jobs. He works as a… More
  In "Le Bonheur," Francois(Jean-Claude Drouot) and Therese(Claire Drouot) are a young married couple, parents of two children, and very much in love. On Sundays, they enjoy going to the country while during the week, they work at their respective jobs. He works as a woodworker for his uncle while she makes dresses at home. A job requires Francois to travel to Vincennes where he has to make a phone call at a post office. It is there that he makes the acquaintance of Emilie(Marie-France Boyer), a cute postal worker, and they start to see each other. She matter of factly mentions that this is not the first time she has done this... Written and directed by Agnes Varda, "Le Bonheur" is a sweetly beguiling, sensual and beautifully filmed movie about infidelity but with none of the guilt.(So, I guess this means we're not going to burn in hell, after all...) What is important is that you are with the person you love, even if that is in the plural.

• Anastasia B

  
  You have to be careful while watching this film, so that you don't miss the subtle ironies: for example, after Therèse asks her husband whether he prefers Brigitte Bardot or Jeanne Moreau, he says he's only interested in her; but the next thing we see is his locker at work,… More
  You have to be careful while watching this film, so that you don't miss the subtle ironies: for example, after Therèse asks her husband whether he prefers Brigitte Bardot or Jeanne Moreau, he says he's only interested in her; but the next thing we see is his locker at work, covered with cut-out images of both stars. Le Bonheur may seem like it's all sunflowers and sunlight, but the subtext is cynical. The more beautiful the images, the more you know the happiness they depict is fake. It's only a game of the mind. Add the director's constant game of colors and signs, and you have a very smart essay by Varda, on human nature, on how we ignore the meaning of our actions and their consequences, in order to feel superficially, and momentarily, happy.