Review of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) by Noel K — 02 Sep 2010

A surprisingly contemplative and realistic take on the classic love story, but why oh why do they have to sing all of their lines? And mostly with the same uninspiring prototype of a melody??

Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo play the parts of Geneviéve and Guy who are a young couple who's love affair gets complicated with WWII. The starring duo are both almost too beautiful to look at and on top of that they act and sing very well. So does Anne Vernon who plays Geneviéve's mother.

The movie looks nice and has a charming aesthetic look to it. And even the singing becomes somewhat more tolerable after a while. But what really surprised me here is how mature and intelligent the core of the story is. This is a film not about some mythical force of undying love but about the way life really is. It holds a highly pragmatic and logical depiction of adaptation and building a life with what you have instead of wasting it trying to reach for something ideal.

Jacques Demy seems to be saying that no one has the life they would want, but some people have a life they can handle because they have the strength to settle and construct and don't get crippled by bitterness and longing. Wouldn't have thought that a musical made in the early 60's could be this free of escapism and contrived plot devices to smooth out the characters' choices. If they would only speak their lines, this would be a big favorite of mine. As it stands â??The Umbrella's of Cherbourgâ?? is a film that's nice to look at but tough to listen to, and as so a somewhat awkward experience.