THE GLEANERS AND I (2000, FRANCE)

MILLENNIUM MONTH (MM): MOVIES FROM THE YEAR 2000...

AND IN MEMORIAM

(Post 7 of 11)

The Gleaners and I

Gleaners  is a term used to describe one who gathers the crop or other materials left after the main crop is gathered. In searching for this movie on vimeo, I came across a documentary about gleaners in California, which I watched and found most interesting. Then I found The Gleaners and I. I didn't know anything about it going in. French director Agnes Varda put together this film that does indeed have gleaners picking up after the main crop, but it has more than that. She shows others in society that gather the leftovers of societies from junk piles, literal and figurative and some that live that way. She intersperses this with occasional footage of herself and emphasizes repeatedly the process of aging. I like the scene where she gleans an old clock with no hands to depict the non-passage of time. And I think the paintings of the gleaners of crops and how they are used here are lovely to look at.

I honestly don't know precisely what the point of this movie is supposed to be, but I do know that I suddenly feel like doing some recycling!


Obituary of person with 1001 movie connection: Walter Matthau (1920-2000) won an Oscar for his role in The Fortune Cookie, one of many movies he made partnered with Jack Lemmon. But none of these made the 1001 movie book. Not even The Odd Couple! Other Matthau films absent from the list include:  The Bad News Bears, The Sunshine Boys, Plaza Suite, A New Leaf, The Guide for the Married Man (a personal favorite) or even his earlier supporting parts in such films as Fail Safe.

Matthau with Kevin Costner in JFK

1001 entries for Matthau include: In fact, the main entry I can find for Matthau in the 1001 catalog is JFK. But in this film, his depiction of Senator Russell Long lasts only about a minute. He also has a small part in Nicholas Ray's Bigger Than Life, but I think a true film fan has got to put a little more Matthau on his viewing resume than that.