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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
February 6, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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February 6, 2020
 
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Page 8-8 — Shelton-Mason County Journal — Thursday, Feb. 6,.2020 ‘Vardaby Agnes’ allows pioneering ' film diector to speak for herself French New Wave film di- rector Agnes Varda’s work in my Dec. 6, 2017, review of the Academy Award—nominate ed “Faces Places” for The Port Townsend Leader, so it feels bittersweet to finally have the op— portunity to do so again with “Varda by Agnes,” her final film, since Ilast sampled Belgian-born By KIRK BOXLEITNER Year at the __....__...__. age of 90. Perhaps one of the most impressive aspects of a film career that spanned no fewer than six de- cades, and saw her shaping the development of the profoundly influential New Wave move- ment in film, is that Varda never stopped working, right up to the last, and even more, her most recent years were 'argfiably among her most avant-garde, as she sought to redefine the entire nature of what a “film” could be. This film basically consists of Varda regaling an audi- ence of raptly attentive film aficionados with a series of endlessly fascinating anecdotes about her career, delivered with a dry and self-deprecating wit, and accompanied by cor- responding clips, that I could have watched go on forever, even as they made my inner film reviewer cringe, because there’s no way I’ll be able to HARSTINE NEWS . she died last ‘ even briefly summarize those stories without feeling like I’ve left out something essential. Varda started out as a still photographer of dramatic artists and theatrical types, including her future peers in filmmaking, and the dichotomy in her per— spective was evident early on, because even as she admitted an affinity for staged shots, she also made it her mission to capture people on camera in their most unrehearsed moments. We see this in 1967’s “Uncle Yanco,” a spur-of-the—moment short film that came about when Varda discovered a rela- tive she didn’t even know she had in San Francisco, when we see her film multiple takes of her “first” meeting with her uncle Yanco Varda. One of Varda’s early cin- ’ ematographers recalls how the . 'The artist captures a glimpse of herself in “Var , Courtesy photo ' direCtor Sought to sneak in foot- age of Village bakers and other ordinary people into her films, without making them aware they were on camera, and Sandrine Bonnaire, the lead actress of Varda’s 1985 “Vaga- bond,” recalls how she had to learn how to live as a nomadic backpacker for her role, at one point incurring blisters from repairing her own well-worn hiking shoes by hand. Although Varda has di- rected celebrity actors such as Catherine Deneuve, and Robert De Niro, her empathy for the dispossessed remains a constant throughout her films and later multimedia art ex-‘ hibits, whether by highlighting feminist issues and shooting a documentary about the Black Panthers during the 1960s and ‘70s, or by giving voice to the da by Agnes,” Which is now playing. homeless and the hungry in the 21st Century. Varda’s 2000 documentary, “The Gleaners and I,” not only took advantage of more dis- creetly compact filmmaking technology to film urban and rural gleaners, without making them feel like they were under a spotlight, but it was also a forerunner of Varda’s multi- screen exhibits, such as rooms in which she combined her video with still photographs and even tangible examples of what she was shooting, wheth- er it was a floor full of- gleaners’, potatoes, or a coating of sand to simulate the beach whose waves could be seen washing ashore on the screens. With Varda’s 2004 “The Wid- ows of Noirmoutier,” she strove to ensure every Viewer would have an entirely unique experi— ence, by allowing a set number of seats in the screening rooms, and having each widow speak on a separate screen — each screen with its own set of head- phones — so that no two view- ers heard the same widow share her recollections. With this background, it’s little surprise that Varda’s experimentalism led her to collaborate with the pseudony- mously named photographer “JR” on 2017’s “Faces Places,” which not only made the in- habitants of country towns and industrial workplaces into the subjects of the duo’s literally larger-than-life work, but also turned those people’s home- towns and workplaces into the canvases for that same over- sized artwork. In spite of_the failing eye- sight that afflicted her in her final years, Varda never turned a blind eye to the in- justices of the world, but she retained her humanistic belief in people, and she stubbornly held onto her optimism for a better world to the point that, when she wanted to bask in the beach settings she so enjoyed, she had the beach brought to her, by flooding city streets with Sand as part of one of her art exhibits, as seen in 2008’s “The Beaches of Agnes.” I Kirk Boxleitner is arts edi- tor for the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader, the Shelton-Mason County Journal’s sister paper. He can be reached at kboxleitner@ ptleader.com. Now’s a g00d time get out, talk with one another he pineapple express I continues to roll across our island. We had some wet days in the 505. I have to think all our plant life is just enjoying the heck out of all of this. And I think most of the younger folks also enjoy this type of weather as I see them wearing shorts and T-shirts. I know that when I was a kid this type of weather kept . me outdoors all the time —— so mueh so that my feet were continually wet. And that is one of my most memorable memories as I always got athlete’s foot and at night, my mom would put this white By MIKE CALLAGHAN /, «More; )Mwflu ,, nasty cream on my toes and put my socks on. When I woke up the next morning and took those socks off a, layer of skin would come off at the same time. But that didn’t keep me from going out and getting soaked again. Ah, the good old days The next LaJune senior lunch will be Feb. 19. The menu a. will include spa- ghetti, pickled beets, crudités, garlic bread and for dessert there‘will be sherbet. Lunch is served at noon. The last couple of times I was there about 50 people showed up for lunch, and most im- portantly, friendly conversa- s tion. During the long winter . months, we tend to become a little more isolated because of 'the rain, wind and cold keep- ing us indoors. The LaJune lunches were started as a way to draw us out and get us talking with each‘ other. And‘ it has worked exceedingly r well. For this chance to get together, all they ask for is a small donation of $4 to cover the cost of the food. All the work to prepare the lunch is done at the hands of volun- teers. Its time to start thinking about the Pioneer Kiwanis crab and clam dinner and auction. It will be March 21. All proceeds from this event. benefit the youth of the Pio- neer School'District and Ma— son‘County. It will be held in the new portion of the school, .where it was last year. At this early juncture, the Pioneer Kiwanis Club is reaching out to the community and ask- ing for donations that it can ' auction off during the auction period of the event. If you have anything to donate, you can call me at 360-259-9027. All donors receive recognition in the auction materials and are named in a thank you let- ter advertisement placed in the local media. The Pioneer Kiwanis Club is a 501(c)3. Of course, attending is a great way to contribute. This year, tickets are $35 for adults and $15 for children 12 and younger. Those 2 and younger ' attend for free. Doorsropen at . 4 I know there are a great number of waterfront homes on the island, and that a lot of those folks like raising their own oysters and clams. Taylor Shellfish has just announced dates to sell seeds for oysters and clams. They will be April 25 and June 6. These sales are held at the Taylor facility off Southeast Lynch Road. It also has online sales now, but to me the fun of buying the seed is standing in line early in the morning with a hot cup of coffee and talking with all C the people there. You get a great education along with a lot of fun and laughter. I Mike Callaghan can be reached at sobadog@m3n.com.