The Young Girls Of | Rochefort -1967- Criterion -...

Released in 1967, this film is the sunlit counterweight to Demy’s own heartbreaking The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964). While Umbrellas used sung-through dialogue to explore the tragedy of lost love, Rochefort explodes onto the screen with the vibrancy of a freshly opened box of crayons. For decades, accessing this masterpiece in its full, intended glory was a challenge. That changed definitively with the release of edition.

By 1967, Kelly’s star in Hollywood had waned. Demy, an obsessive fan of Singin’ in the Rain , wrote a role specifically for him: Andy, the American composer passing through Rochefort. Kelly, fluent in French, performs his own dubbing and choreographs his own solo number. The Young Girls of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -...

The Criterion Collection has done more than preserve a film; they have preserved a specific frequency of happiness. To watch this restored version is to understand why Jacques Demy is a saint to directors from Damien Chazelle ( La La Land owes this film its entire color palette) to Wes Anderson. Released in 1967, this film is the sunlit

The plot is deceptively simple: Twin sisters Delphine (Catherine Deneuve) and Solange (Françoise Dorléac, Deneuve’s real-life sister) dream of leaving their provincial lives for the glittering promise of Paris. Delphine seeks romantic love; Solange seeks musical fame. Meanwhile, a murder is being investigated (yes, really), a sailor is looking for his long-lost love, and a traveling fair arrives. The plot is a merry-go-round of missed connections and serendipity. That changed definitively with the release of edition

So, pour a pastis, turn up the Michel Legrand soundtrack, and prepare to be blinded by the light of Rochefort. You will leave with the "Chanson des Jumelles" stuck in your head for a week. And you won’t mind at all. The Young Girls of Rochefort -1967- Criterion , Les Demoiselles de Rochefort , Catherine Deneuve , Françoise Dorléac , Jacques Demy , Michel Legrand , Gene Kelly , French New Wave musical , Criterion Collection restoration.