Happiness
Le Bonheur
“Only a woman could dare to make this film.”
Synopsis
Though married to the good-natured, beautiful Thérèse, young husband and father François finds himself falling unquestioningly into an affair with an attractive postal worker. One of Agnès Varda's most provocative films, 'Le bonheur' examines, with a deceptively cheery palette and the spirited strains of Mozart, the ideas of fidelity and happiness in a modern, self-centered world.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
Le Bonheur (1965) Trailer
Type: Trailer • Published 2015-03-14
Top Cast
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Jean-Claude Drouot
François Chevalier
Claire Drouot
Thérèse Chevalier
Olivier Drouot
Pierrot Chevalier
Sandrine Drouot
Gisou Chevalier
Marie-France Boyer
Émilie Savignard
Marcelle Faure-Bertin
Bertin
Manon Lanclos
Mrs. Mesquier
Sylvia Saurel
Yvette Mercier
Marc Eyraud
Joseph Chevalier
Christian Riehl
Paul Vecchiali
Paul
Yvonne Dany
Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Release History & Theatrical Window
Paris
Festival / Special Debut
September 27, 2011
Physical Home Media
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Agnès Varda
- Screenplay & Story
- Agnès Varda
- Original Score
- Jean-Michel Defaye, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Original Title
- Le Bonheur
- Country of Origin
- France
- Spoken Languages
- French
- Runtime
- 1h 20m
- Production Studios
- Parc Film
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Agnès Varda
Agnès Varda
Jean-Michel Defaye, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Jean Rabier, Claude Beausoleil
Janine Verneau
Mag Bodard
Department Leadership Roster
Agnès Varda
Writer
Agnès Varda
Director
Mag Bodard
Producer
Jean Rabier
Director of Photography
Janine Verneau
Editor
Claude Beausoleil
Director of Photography
Claude François
Costume Design
Jean-Michel Defaye
Original Music Composer
Hubert Monloup
Production Design
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
Interdit aux moins de 18 ans — 18+ only.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Happiness.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Happiness.
Periodic import List
S&S Critics - Greatest Films
Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time 2022 (Critics' Poll). Every decade the Sight and Sound team asks critics to name the greatest films of all time. Here are the results of the 2022 poll – the largest ever, with 1,639 critics, programmers, curators, archivists and academics each submitting their top ten ballot - and now updated with the complete list. 《视与听》2022年影评人评选影史百大电影（含并列完整版）： 由 1639 位影评人、策展人及学者共同票选的影史最伟大电影。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#152] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#171] Out 1 (1971) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-20 07:38:27 UTC+8)*
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films. Ranks narrative feature films by average member rating (minimum 25,000 ratings). Excludes documentaries, shorts, and TV series. Letterboxd 官方 Top 500 电影榜单： 根据用户平均评分排名的剧情长片（最低2.5万评价门槛）。已排除纪录片、短片及剧集。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-20 07:35:26 UTC+8)*
TSPDT - 1000 Greatest Films
They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? (TSPDT) - The 1,000 Greatest Films. A definitive meta-list aggregating thousands of critics' polls, historical rankings, and director top 10s to represent the ultimate critical consensus in cinema history. TSPDT 影史最伟大的1000部电影： 全球最权威的电影元榜单，由该网站汇总世界各大电影刊物历史评选结果及数千名影评人、学者的个人十佳榜单，通过算法加权计算得出的终极共识。 *片单说明：* 本片单只收录纯电影，以下剧集或迷你剧不予收录： • [#335] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#514] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#614] Edvard Munch (1974) • [#703] The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) • [#890] Elephant (1989) • [#925] Heimat (1984) • [#968] Doomed Love (1978) 以下作品在 TMDB 被拆分为多个独立电影条目；本片单按作品/章节顺序连续收录，且每个分拆条目均沿用同一 TSPDT 名次： • [#171] Dekalog (1989) — 展开为 10 部电影 • [#988] Olympia (1938) — 展开为 2 部电影 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-20 07:30:02 UTC+8)*
European Cinema
Auto-generated by festival-lists — do not edit by hand.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Happiness
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Happiness about?
Though married to the good-natured, beautiful Thérèse, young husband and father François finds himself falling unquestioningly into an affair with an attractive postal worker. One of Agnès Varda's most provocative films, 'Le bonheur' examines, with a deceptively cheery palette and the spirited strains of Mozart, the ideas of fidelity and happiness in a modern, self-centered world.
Who directed Happiness?
Happiness was directed by Agnès Varda.
Who stars in Happiness?
The principal cast of Happiness includes Jean-Claude Drouot, Claire Drouot, Olivier Drouot, Sandrine Drouot, Marie-France Boyer.
When was Happiness released and how long is it?
Happiness was released in 1965 with a total runtime of 1h 20m.
Who composed the musical score for Happiness?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Happiness was composed by Jean-Michel Defaye, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
What is the age rating and content advisory for Happiness?
Happiness holds official age classifications: FR: 18 (Interdit aux moins de 18 ans — 18+ only.).