The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg (1964)

Director: Jacques Demy Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Marc Michel Genres: Musical, Romantic Drama Origin: France Certificate: PG Languages: French With Subtitles Subtitles: English Running Time: 91 min

synopsis

Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival, and available for the first time on DVD, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is an unforgettable story of a lost love. Set in the French seaside town of Cherbourg, the all-sung dialogue tells the story of shop-girl Genevieve (Catherine Deneuve) who discovers that she is pregnant after her garage mechanic boyfriend, Guy (Nino Castelnuovo), is drafted to fight in the Algerian war. She marries the decent and honourable diamond merchant, Roland Cassard (Marc Michel), but lives with the knowledge that her true love lies elsewhere. A frosty Esso filling station on Christmas Eve is the unlikely scene of the final meeting between the lovers. Long unavailable anywhere but now restored to its original Technicolor vibrancy, the film is a feast of colour in the tradition of the MGM musical. Every scene is colour co-ordinated down to the costumes matching the wallpaper. Deneuve, in her first screen role, has never looked as beautiful. With a remixed Dolby stereo soundtrack co-ordinated by Agnes Varda (Jacques Demy's wife) and Michel Legrand, composer and conductor of the gloriously evocative score, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg stands out as one of the most vibrant and visually arresting films ever made.