My thanks to NetGalley and Aurora Metro Books for an advance copy of this book on the works of one of France's best film directors, a woman whose work covers many different styles, many different themes, an artist comfortable in long, short and documentary forms, and one with a distinct vision, and skill that we as viewers are still catching up with.

I have loved movies for almost all of my life, with some breaks in our relationship, mostly due to me. My first movie was Walt Disney's Robin Hood, a moment I can still remember seeing as we arrived early and were allowed to come in at the end. The sound, the characters, the idea of being alone in a theater with others and sharing in a moment, each moment singular to the person, and yet shared among the crowd. Moving to the country, my father found a friends cable repairman who gave us free cable, a gift to a young cinephile, one I tried my best to fill up on. I saw movies both good, really bad, and many that were probably above my age of understanding. I came to French movies late, and being a male who didn't know better, skipped through the Gallic oeuvre ignoring many good movies, and well most movies directed by woman. I have amended this much as finding and watching movies has become easier in some ways, hard in others. One I keep finding more and more enjoyable are the works of Agnès Varda. I believe my first was a documentary on her husband's movies, and one I enjoyed. As I caught up, I was always amazed at how ahead Varda seemed, in the way people reacted, conversed, and went about their lives. All of this captured in this wonderful book. In the Scene: Agnes Varda by writer of both fiction and criticism Paul Sutton is a look at the life and work of the artist, showing the work, the effort the thoughts and the ideas behind many of Varda's movies, as well as explaining what makes them so enjoyable.

The book looks at the films, feature length, short, documentaries, even works done for commercials and for news segments. In addition Sutton explores Varda' photography and the art installations that became so important to Varda late in life. The book starts with an overview of Varda's life, birth opportunities, and the eye for photography that helped Varda so much in directing movies. Sutton looks at the work of Varda's husband Jacques Demy, and how their marriage, both ups and downs affected Varda's works, and how championing of Demy's films filled her later life. The book covers everything Varda has done all examined in chronological order. Sutton breaks the movies down looking at where the ideas for works came from, difficulties in financing, projects lost, or later adapted into something else. Sutton goes into the filming of the movies, looking at reviews both good and bad, awards one, and even breaks the themes of the movies down.

The book is both fascinating and educational to people working in the creative field. Sutton does a very good job of breaking down the movies, be it fiction or nonfiction, describing what works, what occasionally doesn't, and why film watchers even after all these years should care. Sutton has a good eye, and a very nice writing style, able to talk technical about film, shots and equipment, and also looking at the emotional aspect that makes many of these films stay with watchers. One not only appreciates that art, but the artists, and the work, and sometimes sacrifices Varda had to make.

A really wonderful film book, of interest to fans of Varda, and those who love to read about film history and creation. And for those who would like to life an artistic life. A book I learned quite a bit from, and one that will cost me quite a bit in tracking down those films I have missed.

In the Scene: Agnes Varda, by Paul Sutton, is an informative overview of this legendary filmmaker with just enough depth to give the reader avenues for further reading without getting so analytical that most general film fans might lose interest.

Of course a book that is a couple hundred pages long and covers most of her filmic output isn't going to be a deeply analytical book, doesn't take much to understand that. But that isn't what the book was trying to be, so it is a moot point to make. That would be like complaining that a recipe book didn't do deep dives into the history of each ingredient.

Like the other In the Scene volumes I've read (Jane Campion, Steve McQueen, and Ang Lee) the reader gets a bit of biography in the beginning, a discussion of themes and context covering the career, then information about many of the works Varda created. It is fascinating to have this all in a handy volume and also serves to help anyone who has read and/or studied more about her step back and keep the big picture in view.

I saw this referred to as more like a reference book, and it would certainly make an excellent reference, but I think of it as more of an introduction for those who may only know about her more celebrated works or perhaps has only heard the name and know nothing about her. In addition, I think this would be an excellent addition to a film scholars library partly for that reference book reason cited earlier and because it is easy to get so focused on the specifics of a film or a theme that you lose sight of context, and this helps keep everything ordered.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

Thank you to Supernova Books/Aurora Metro and to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy of In The Scene: Agnes Varda!

In The Scene: Agnes Varda provide readers with an in-depth look at the life and work of legendary French filmmaker Agnes Varda. As an avid reader and film enthusiast, my interest was piqued here as the book provided me with the opportunity to explore an artist I was familiar with but whose work I have not yet explored. The book is an incredible starting point for film enthusiasts, aspiring filmmakers or film students who might be unfamiliar with Varda's career. For those who are already fans of Agnes V., the book provides relevant context and insight into her life and the world outside of her career, adding dimension and broadening the lens through which we might view her work.

Paul Sutton does a really great job of summarizing the plots, themes, and cultural impact of Varda's films (short, feature length, documentary) and her subsequent art installations, without inserting any praise or criticism of his own - it is miraculously neutral. The book is obviously well researched and executed with great attention to detail, care, and respect for the artist. Apart from the brief introduction and initial biography, the rest of the book reads more like a reference or instructional text with complete focus on Varda's body of work - it is not simply a biography of a renowned filmmaker, but instead a film lover's guidebook to a particular body of work that could easily fit right in on the shelf to accompany a copy of The Agnes Varda Collection boxed set from Criterion.