Along the Coast [Du Côté De La Côte] (1958)

I discovered this twenty five minute short whilst browsing Mubi's expansive database. Agnes Varda celebrates the majestic splendour of the French Riviera in a beautifully shot and eccentric documentary, examining the buildings, beaches, and people (mainly tourists) of the Côte d'Azur. The film looks glorious after being restored, the brightness and luscious oceanic shots make you want to pack your bags and head straight there, especially in this heat. Varda, naturally, puts her own spin on things as she narrates the documentary in a highly amusing and original fashion. Despite being shot like a documentary, the tongue in cheek fashion of the storytelling make this a knowing and clever analysis of the region, and will have you laughing out loud at the deliberate bizarreness of some of its decision making. Some of the editing reminds you of Parajanov's The Colour Of Pomegranates (1969), and it wouldn't be out of step to consider that Along The Coast is in the same sort of ballpark. You would expect nothing less of Varda, her wily charm and tremendous eye bring a whole new scope to documentary film making, and Along The Cost proves another string to her impressively expansive bow. 8.0/10