The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), directed by Jacques Demy

If ever a movie could be described as sui generis, this is it. There's nothing new in the plot: a seventeen-year-old girl is in love with a 20-year-old boy, he is called to war, leaving her behind and pregnant. Since he doesn't write, she marries for security. Years later, they meet again. Recognize the plot? It's the same as Fanny: the Marcel Pagnol original, the musical based on the film, and the non-musical film (?) based on the musical. Jacques Demy's film, however, is unique in that it is entirely sung. Every single word. Thus, Umbrellas is closer to operetta than musical.

While the film has one famous tune (you will know it when you hear it), it doesn't have songs per se. Much of the film appears to be recitative. Unfortunately, much of the music (by Michel Legrand) sounds like so much musical water-treading. Only the famous love theme is memorable.

The film also has a novel look: rather than striving for a realistic look in its urban setting (which many other directors would have made "gritty"), the Demy film is filled with bold, bright primary colors. It's like a storybook, enhancing the music. Taken together, the "look", the sound, and the plot seem to aim at the heart of human emotions. One scene in particular: the girl, Genevieve, parts from her lover at the train station, surely not something new in the world of cinema. The combination of the music and the sets, however, serve to make this among the most unbearably poignant of such scenes.

One word about the cast: they are all adequate, but the lead, Genevieve, is almost unbearably good: Catherine Deneuve. If you agree with me that she is one of the most beautiful women in the history of film, then you must see her here, when she was only 20.