The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

Jacques Demy's haunting romantic musical is an enchanting, one-of-a-kind musical experience. It's basically a movie operetta, in which the characters sing all the dialogue (or, rather, lyrics--by director Demy) to Michel Legrand's lovely score. The story spans five years (1957-1962) in the life of Geneviéve (the ethereally beautiful Catherine Deneuve in the role that launched her to international stardom), the teenage daughter of a woman who owns a Cherbourg umbrella shop. After Geneviéve's boyfriend Guy (Nino Castelnuovo) is drafted and sent off to Algeria, she discovers she's pregnant ... and complications ensue. With its dazzling candy-colored palette, Umbrellas of Cherbourg looks sweet and dreamy. Restored and rereleased in 1995 to rapturous acclaim and the renewed delight of all who got the chance to see it. The video release is taken from the restored version. --Jim Emerson Amazon.com

Vivid Colors and Endless Music

Geneviève (Catherine Denevue) and her mother (Anne Vernon) live above their shop called The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Geneviève is in love with Guy (Nino Castelnuovo), a young auto mechanic with dark hair and a dazzling smile. The two date secretly and plan their future together; finally Geneviève's mother finds out about her boyfriend. She is unimpressed and warns her of the dangers of young love. Fortunately for her, Guy recieves his draft notice and will be away for two years. After a tearful goodbye, Guy reluctantly leaves with the promise of Geneviève's hand when he returns. As the weeks go by, Geneviève becomes pale and weak. Her stomach begins to expand, revealing Guy's child growing inside. Her mother insists that Geneviève marry the jewelry merchant from America (Marc Michel) that has taken a liking to the young blonde, but Geneviève is reluctant to give up her romance for stability. As times goes by, though, and the separation gets harder, the temptation of wealth gets stronger.

Umbrellas of Cherbourg is completely sung; there is no spoken dialogue like in a traditional musical. It might take some getting used to, but it is worth sitting through. Visually, this is a stunning film. All of the sets are bright and cheerful and are well coordinated to the seasons and moods. In spite of the colorful sets and costumes, this movie is quite depressing. Do not expect that everything will be wrapped up neatly in the end with an extravagant musical number to finish it all off. It is haunting and memorable, a lovely film. September 12, 2008

Classic Favorite

I don't usually like this type of movie, it is sung all the way through, but the music is so haunting, that you will remember it long after the memories of the actual story is gone. September 2, 2008

Masterpiece That Stands the Test of Time

"The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" is a one-of-a-kind movie. All of the lines are sung, to a beautiful score, but there are no traditional character solos, chorus numbers, or choreography. So it's not your average musical. The closest thing to a "show-stopper" in the movie is the stunning Oscar-nominated "I Will Wait for You."

The plot is pretty easy to follow, yet it develops the characters quite well. The story is set in Cherbourg in 1958, and we first meet Guy, a car mechanic, getting off work to visit his love interest Genevieve. Genevieve's mother runs a business, the Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and soon discovers that she needs a lot of money to pay off the store's debt. She unsuccessfully tries to sell some jewels at a store, but meets a suave Jewel dealer named Cassard who offers to buy the jewelry. It is clear that Cassard is interested in Genevieve. In another twist, Guy has to leave to complete his required 2 years of military service in Algeria. What will happen to Guy and Genevieve, and Cassard, and Genevieve's mother, and Guy's godmother? Watch and find out!

Another way in which "Umbrellas" is unique is that it does not try to opt for easy answers. Without giving away the specifics, I can say that the ending is happy, but not in the way viewers would expect it to be, and there are lots of unresolved issues. The ending has a mix of happiness and agony, much the way life is most of the time. Watch "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" and be enchanted; there's simply not another movie like it. August 26, 2008

A film for all lovers of the world, the young and the old,

The Winner of Cannes Film Festival's Golden Palm in 1964 and five times Oscar nominee, Jacques Demy's/Michell Legrand "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg", is a superb romantic movie. It tells a very simple story of love lost but not forgotten in such enchanting, unusual, and ambitious way with such delightful results that no other musical or romance was able to achieve since. The beauty of the film lies in the unique combination of color and sound. Every word is sung with no spoken dialogs, and every scene has perfect harmony in colors with the clothes of the characters matching the interiors and exteriors of the sets. The movie made a superstar out of 20 years old Catherine Denueve as teenager Genevieve, a girl madly in love with Guy (Nino Castelnuovo), a garage mechanic. I have not seen the film for long time and should admit that while re-watching it last night, for the first ten or 15 minutes, I had some doubts and reservations about constant music and singing that make The Umbrellas of Cherbourg more of the filmed opera than a musical. But the more I watched, the more I became overwhelmed by its kind and sweet tenderness and I enjoyed with all my heart the unique romantic delight.

August 2, 2008

French Cinema at its Best!

This is my favorite foreign film of all time. The dialog is entirely sung in French, the music is captivating, the set design is breathtaking, and the acting is brilliant. Catherine Deneuve never looked so young, beautiful, and innocent as she appears in this movie. The movie's ending gives the viewer an unexpected but sometimes so true dose of reality. This is my favorite foreign film of all time. I love it!!! June 19, 2008

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