Du côté de la côte

At the request of the French tourism board, in 1958, Varda turned her eye to the Côte d’Azur, the stretch of Mediterranean coastline between Toulon and the Italian border. A place of magical light, visited by countless famous vacationers and cheerful flâneurs.

Varda captures it in her own way, of course, with witticisms and free associations, alternating spontaneous observations and street scenes with humorous staged scenes. She ignores the local population, to steer clear of clichés about charmingly wrinkled old people. Varda is more interested in the masses—the tourists packed tightly together on the beaches, for example. In this newly restored film, the colorful swimsuits and knitted swimming trunks contrast strikingly with the background of the azure sea.

Such scenes make this short film a gem of a time document: just look at the wonderful hat fashion of the era or the parade of now classic cars along the boulevard! But there’s also room for deeper reflection, in typical Varda style—like when she visually pairs a seaside campsite with a cemetery. After all, this too is a place where people camp, albeit for eternity.