The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Starring:JosÃ© Bartel, Michel Benoist, Georges Blaness, DorothÃ©e Blank, Pierre Caden, Jane Carat, Nino Castelnuovo, Jean Champion, Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Pierre Dorat, Philippe Dumat, Ellen Farner, Bernard Fradet, Christiane Legrand, Danielle Licari, Marc Michel, Mireille Perrey, Anne Vernon, Harald Wolff
Studio: Fox Lorber
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

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

Customer Reviews:

Unforgettable.......2007-06-17

I watched this beautiful film last night and fell in love again. So gorgeous, so unforgettable. Catherine Deneuve as Genevieve and Nino Castelnuovo as Guy are just the perfect star-crossed young lovers. You totally believe their story, even though it is all intense colors, music and seemingly light conversations. Thank you, Jacues Demy, and Michel Lagrand, and all the actors and everyone who worked on this film. American film makers could learn a lot from you. Also, designers - why can't our world look like this?? Where do they get that wallpaper and paint? Wow!! It makes life so much better even though life is not always so perfect and yes, very sad too often. If it hadn't been for that war, Guy and Geneveieve might have made it. War - what is it good for? Absolutely nothing. Not for the everyday people, that's for sure.

Even the skies weep.......2007-06-03

I admit to some trepidation when I hit the "Play" button on the remote. I had seen Demy/Legrand's LE DEMOISELLES DE REROCHEFORT a few weeks earlier and found it tedious. Plus, will I like a film that is entirely sung, like an opera? Plus, many (or all) the actors were dubbed by European pop singers who possessed flimsy voices (based on the fragments I've seen over the years).

What can I say? I got caught up and carried along to the end - by the star-crossed-lovers plot - by Michel Legrand's glorious music - by director Jacques Demy's and cinematographer Jean Rabier's vibrant visuals - by the the highly appealing cast. Under those circumstances, the singing voices were easy to get used to and, occasionally, they would show a pleasing brilliance of tone.

I can't help revealing the amusing moment when the mother tells her teenaged daughter, "No, you're not ugly. You're not the fairest of them all...". That daughter was played by the young Catherine Deneuve. However, gorgeous as Deneuve was, I would have gone for the brunette played by actress Ellen Farner. I was bummed to learn that that beauty appeared in only 3 movies (the other 2 may be obscure and unavailable German films).

There's a documentary on Jacques Demy on the DVD which states that Demy was influenced by American musicals. However, with UMBRELLAS, Demy took his own route. This story is far more sophisticated, even daring to end on a beautifully understated scene. The libretto (like that of most operas and operettas) is very sentimental and only the opera format keeps it from being sickly saccharine. It all adds up to something unique and daring -- and worth a try by someone looking for a new film experience.

Gloriously romantic yet surprisingly clear-eyed.......2007-05-20

A semi followup to Jacques Demy's Lola - both Michel Legrand's main theme and Marc Marcel's character return - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is surprisingly upbeat despite its subject matter. A traditional lost love story set against the backdrop of the Algerian War that separates the lovers, it opts for a less than traditional realistic ending that shows how their lives change, not necessarily for the worse, after they are parted. It's last act is darker than people give it credit, dealing with the young hero's disillusion on his return, oddly enough made more affecting by the triteness of what precedes it. While shot in some of the most glorious colour imagery ever seen, the dialogue is little more than sung banalities, whether it's a declaration of undying love or an extra asking where the paint shop is, which somehow grounds it. Even the location of the finale, an Esso filling station, is ultimately mundane, yet somehow becomes a gloriously romantic location for a wistfully bitter parting.

Taken from the restored version of the film, the DVD also includes an extract from Agnes Varda's documentary The World of Jacques Demy dealing with the making of the film.

Musical fanatstique.......2007-05-15

The colors, music, story and singing in this movie are great. I was unaware of it, til I discovered it on TCM during a fit of insomnia. After watching for about 5 minutes, I woke my wife in the middle of the night to watch it! After about 10 minutes of her watching, she was glad I did.
I am very happy to own this one, and am excited to show it to my friends who are not philistines(sadly too few).

Romantic, colorful, touching.......2007-03-27

I first saw this movie in high school French class back in the 70s. Can't say I remembered much of it except the famous song and the image (though not the contents) of the final gas station scene. Course, our French teacher probably didn't let us see subtitles, so I'm guessing I really didn't understand most of it anyway.

Got it on a lark recently to watch again and found it very touching, and beautifully filmed, if a tad melodramatic. By coincidence, I watched the "Young Girls of Rochefort" a while back, made by the same director and also starring Deneuve. Actually, I think I preferred "Rochefort," but both are worth watching.

The simple story is told in a straight-forward way, a fact that is masked by having all the dialogue sung. The ending is not what you expect, really, with both characters appearing colder and harder than a typical romance might have them be. Still, the movie is better because of this, more moving and realistic. And each scene is lovingly and gorgeously put together, so its a feast for the eyes. The ears---not so much. I found the women's voices harsh at times, hitting high piercing notes that grated. Still, the score is pleasant and--though it may be overused a bit--the famous song a joy to hear.

Average customer rating:

Unforgettable
Even the skies weep
Gloriously romantic yet surprisingly clear-eyed
Musical fanatstique
Romantic, colorful, touching

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Starring: José Bartel , Michel Benoist , Georges Blaness , Dorothée Blank , and Pierre Caden
Manufacturer: Fox Lorber
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The Young Girls of Rochefort
A Man and a Woman
Belle de Jour
Les Parapluies De Cherbourg: Highlights (1964 Film)
La Dolce Vita (2-Disc Collector's Edition)

ASIN: 1572521783
Release Date: 1997-11-26

Amazon.com

Thirty years after its release in 1964, this poignant romantic drama, in which virtually all of the dialogue is sung, was badly in need of restoration. The bright colors had faded and washed out in a haze of pink, and the film stock had badly aged. Fortunately, the movie was properly restored to its original splendor and rereleased to worldwide acclaim. Not only was this French romance a daring musical experiment (because the entire screenplay is a kind of epic song, beautifully scored by Michel Legrand), but it also introduced Catherine Deneuve, who was 20 years old when the film was released and became one of France's all-time screen legends. Deneuve plays a young woman in love with a local auto mechanic named Guy (Nino Castelnuovo) who has been drafted into the army. In his absence she learns that she is pregnant and then marries a rich man who agrees to raise the child. The bittersweet story follows what happens when Guy returns from service. To reveal anything more would be a disservice to anyone who hasn't seen this touchingly heartfelt film. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Unforgettable.......2007-06-17

Even the skies weep.......2007-06-03

Gloriously romantic yet surprisingly clear-eyed.......2007-05-20

Musical fanatstique.......2007-05-15

Romantic, colorful, touching.......2007-03-27

The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg - Special Edition 2 DVD Set [Non-US Format, Pal, Region 2, Import]

Average customer rating:

The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg - Special Edition 2 DVD Set [Non-US Format, Pal, Region 2, Import]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video
Product Features:

Region 2 encoding (Europe, Japan, South Africa and the Middle East including Egypt).
Requires multi-region DVD player in the US.

ASIN: 8388164449

Product Description

About this release: 2 DVD Set, Digitally Remastered, SPECIAL EDITION includes - The World Of Jacques Demy Documentary - Short Film Scored By Michel Le Grand - Introduction By Geoff Andrew Film Critic And NFT Programmer. About the Movie: Catherine Deneuve stars in Jacques Demy's THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG, an astonishing musical love story in which every word is sung to a score by Michel Legrand. Glorious colour, breathtaking choreography and a heartbreaking plot combine to create a completely unique musical unlike no other. The story of star crossed lovers is situated in an urban seaside as Genevieve (Deneuve), a sweet sixteen year old ingenue who works with her mother in an umbrella shop, falls desperately in love with Guy, a local mechanic. Fate intervenes when Genevieve becomes pregnant and Guy is drafted, as their love is pitted against time and fate.

Average customer rating:

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg [Region 2]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

( U ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Average customer rating:

Unforgettable
Even the skies weep
Gloriously romantic yet surprisingly clear-eyed
Musical fanatstique
Romantic, colorful, touching

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

( U ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The Young Girls of Rochefort
A Man and a Woman
Belle de Jour
Les Parapluies De Cherbourg: Highlights (1964 Film)
La Dolce Vita (2-Disc Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B00005B5YE

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Unforgettable.......2007-06-17

Even the skies weep.......2007-06-03

Gloriously romantic yet surprisingly clear-eyed.......2007-05-20

Musical fanatstique.......2007-05-15

Romantic, colorful, touching.......2007-03-27

Umbrellas of Cherbourg/My Favorite Season

Average customer rating:

Enchanting, haunting, sad.
So light, and so enjoyable.
Chilly Cherbourg isn't quite Sunny Malibu

Umbrellas of Cherbourg/My Favorite Season
Starring: Daniel Auteuil , Jean Bousquet , Jean-Pierre Bouvier , Ingrid Caven , and Carmen Chaplin
Manufacturer: Fox Lorber
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

( U ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00000JS7N
Release Date: 1999-11-23

Customer Reviews:

Enchanting, haunting, sad........2005-05-16

One of the best films I've ever seen. There are no speaking parts, the entire movie is sung. The music was composed by Michel Le Grand and is hauntingly beautiful. I can only recall the English lyrics--"If it takes forever, I will wait for you. For a thousand summers, I will wait for you. 'Til I'm back beside you, 'til I'm touching you. And forever more, I'll wait for you!" The splash of color in the film--from Catherine Deneuve's clothes to the set design are just gorgeous; while at the same time, a contrast to the somber mood of the film. It is a story of a young girl and the love of her life who has to go to Algeria to serve in the army. While he is away, she is pursued by an equally charming and wealthy suitor. Who does she choose and how does it affect her life? Only a French film maker can produce this kind of film that will make you smile, and swoon, and cry all at the same time. A truly lovely and unforgettable cinematic experience.

So light, and so enjoyable........2000-11-06

I agree with all what Roger Strutton wrote about this movie, and in addition I'd like to say that watching this film is a very good way for a beginner to learn a little bit of French.

Also, I am not usually one for love stories or romances, but this film is so simple and sweet, colorful and anti-Hollywood endings, that it really endeared itself to me. Catherine Deneuve is pretty and charming, and her men are likable. This is good to watch on a rainy afternoon, and a fun way to get your foreign movie fix.

Everytime I see an umbrella now, I think of "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg."

Chilly Cherbourg isn't quite Sunny Malibu.......2000-08-26

What I thought initially, "Oh no, not one and a half hours of pure music, no speaking," soon changed within a few minutes to "This is going to be an exciting movie." Being a visual person I was first strike by the color arrangements in and outside and although the music was quite ordinary except for the hit number I Will Wait for You, I started to realize that this New Wave type film was making fun of the earlier American musicals and of Hollywood itself. Jacques Demy doesn't just poke fun at the Frenchman's "friend" across the Atlantic but also of the French themselves.

In France one of the worst crimes is to be bourgeois, in other words middle class. Wealthy is fine, the rich don't have to put on a show, and being poor has its dignity, a glass of wine and a puff on a Gauloises, an intellectual conversation in some smoky dive, what could be better?

The clever color schemes mainly those in Madame Emery's home first of all reflect the middle class attitude that is the Emerys have a sense of taste. The clothes have to match the wallpaper, and not only that each room has to match the person who lives or sleeps in it. We can see this nowadays with the Laura Ashley designs, the curtains, wallpaper, even the bedclothes have the same color and pattern. Laura Ashley stores can be found in all the correct places such as the South Coast Plaza Mall in Costa Mesa where everyone who thinks they are somebody shops, and if this monument is too expensive then a cheaper version of this matching phenomenon can be found in K-Mart.

I believe Jacques Demy took a look at the extreme exaggerations of the Hollywood musical and then went one or two steps further. We can see Aunt Elise also has taste because her apartment has a color scheme of red and cream, even her bedclothes have the same hues. Guy arrives from the hallway which is decorated in blue. He has on a pair of denims and a blue pullover that makes him appear from the blue room almost translucent. After his conversation with Auntie he departs to another room that is also blue. Now I'm sure there's no deep psychological meaning to this but purely Demy enjoying himself.

If we take a look at the plot it isn't very dramatic compared to American films. This is another case where Demy is manipulating the audience. We see these exuberant colors throughout the film and all the time I am expecting something very exciting or different to happen. But it's just a love story, with hardly any ups or downs, everything is on an even keel with Genevieve and Guy going their own way, similar to the average person. Genevieve ends up wealthy just as her mother wished, and Guy owns an ordinary service station. This is also part of the fun because in a Hollywood film, a musical, a comedy or a more serious plot, the protagonist normally ends up with wealth, fame, and a girl on his arm. In Umbrellas at the end we see Guy who has just seen his old flame in a posh car drive away from his very down to earth workplace, and he never saw his kid. It's also snowing to add salt to the wound, no Malibu skyline here, and he continues on with life as he plays snowballs with his son.

Now why didn't Demy choose exciting Paris or Marseilles on the Riviera for the location, here's another finger up at Hollywood. Cherbourg is on the north coast of France bordering the Bay of Biscay and the English Channel with the Atlantic winds blowing from the West through the streets with lots of rain, a thoroughly depressing place, not the Mediterranean where Bridget Bardot or Jean-Paul Belmondo would hang around. From a quick look this film is just a musical, not a bad musical though, but this really is a pure tongue-in-cheek version of the films such as Band Wagon and I can definitely see shades of Singin' in the Rain when comparing the street scenes. In Singin' they are suppose to be real, well kind of, and in Umbrellas they are real but over painted to look artificial. Umbrellas and Rain, I think there must be some kind of connection. I believe the French were having a good laugh when they made this film and I'm sure they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

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