The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Romantic Trilogy - Part 2

Jacques Demy's spectacular entirely-sung musical is extremely ambitious, bold, radical and immensely attractive, shining a spotlight on Catherine Deneuve, in what is surely one of her most glamorous and definitive roles.

"It's my favourite film of all time regardless of language or nationality" -Jonathan Ross

The story revolves around Geneviève, a young woman (Catherine Deneuve) who works in her mother's umbrella shop. She soon meets Guy, a local 20-year-old auto mechanic who she falls in love with. Geneviève's mother doesn't approve of her young daughter's plans to marry, and her hopes are not all lost when Guy is drafted to serve in the Algerian war.

Owing much to the American classical cinema of directors such as Vincente Minelli (An American In Paris, Gigi) and Stanley Donen (Singin' In The Rain), Demy found his own voice among the other young directors of the Nouvelle Vague. Unlike Godard, with his politically charged film-making, or Eric Rohmer, with his literary approach, Demy instead found that there was still more to explore within the confines of the musical, which was already in decline along with the fall of the studio system. Moreover, he chose to film an entirely-sung musical, far exceeding the ambitions of any previous musicals.

Perhaps Cherbourg's greatest asset is the immensely seductive colour cinematography by Jean Rabier (Cléo From 5 to 7), who worked closely with Demy to achieve the striking and expressive use of colour. This together with the lush, romantic Michel Legrand (Lola) score, makes for a film that's wholly enjoyable to watch, and at the same time remarkable as a feat of film-making.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is the middle part of what critics call Demy's "Romantic Trilogy" which comprises Lola, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort, respectively.