Demy plays a huge part in the documentary. "I wanted to speak about him. He has been a big part of my life. We spent many years together. It's not a film about him, so I have to find the right composition, the right proportion speaking about him."
Varda loves coming to Los Angeles. She and Demy first arrived here in 1967 so he could make his only Hollywood movie, "Model Shop." Varda also made the quirky 1969 "Lions Love," starring Andy Warhol icon, Viva.
"It was a shower of freedom," Varda says of L.A. "Suddenly, everything was different. It was a peace and love time. They were trying to have sexual revolutions and colors were daring. They were eating different. I had to learn the language and we threw ourselves into the generation and we loved it so much."
The minute she arrives in Los Angeles, says Varda, she becomes happy. "It doesn't mean the world is better, but there is something in the air. I loved to be here. I come here often. I am not dealing with a Hollywood studio, but it's a very inspiring city for cinema."
These days, Varda is concentrating on video installations. In fact, one of her museum installations -- three video screens filled with images of potatoes -- is in the film. Even Varda is dressed as a potato.
"I want to investigate," she says. "I want to discover. You don't ask a novelist to make books of 220 pages all the time. Installations -- I really believe are another step in investi- gating what is image and sound."
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susan.king@latimes.com
