Les Parapluies de Cherbourg / The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

France, 1964 Directed: Jacques Demy. Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo and Anne Vernon.

It’s been raining outside…(it’s SUMMER here). To console myself I thought it would be a good idea to watch The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. A trendy, gorgeous, French Nouvelle Vague period film where the characters endure the rain with the power of SONG + DANCE. Great idea!

Oh yeah…that’s right…The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is not so much a cheesy musical as much as a tragic operetta where the characters sing their lines simply because that’s how they roll. This is no dancing matter. Nevertheless, it’s beautiful and if you like melodrama (ooo yes I DO) you’ll love it.

In brief: Geneviève (Deneuve) lives with her widowed mother and is in love with Guy (Castelnuovo). Her mother won’t let them marry and they are drawn apart by Guy’s military duties. Geneviève falls pregnant and marries a rich bachelor to support herself. Guy returns and is devastated but moves onto a new femme. Wait for the final scene, so heartbreaking!

One of the most striking elements of this film is the lovely pastel colour scheme. Bernard Evein, the Production Designer, did a beautiful job of tying the scenery to the costumery. How could you not want to match your jacket to your wallpaper? Enjoy!