The Young Girls of Rochefort

Pure joy. Jacques Demy completes his trilogy of glorious masterpieces with this ode to love that is utterly romantic in the most genuine and most comprehensive sense. There are simply too many superb elements to list in the space of this review. Suffice to say that Demy's movies have an emotional effect upon me unlike those of any other. It is almost impossible not to believe that this 1967 movie represents the achievement of some kind of pinnacle, before the world took a wrong turn, downhill.

a happy film removed from reality? i'd argue demy's utopian visions are so exhilarating because they're fragile manifestations of the dreams of those suffering in reality. i'd cite its grounding in place; the axe murderer, gallery owner or endlessly marching soldiers; but the best example is how a woman's long-awaited escape from her prison dovetails exquisitely with the most tragic missed connection for her daughter. the screen enchants like nothing else, but despair always lurks at its edges.

I had to wear sunglasses while watching this film.

Damien Chazelle wishes

While Cherbourg transforms reality into a musical, Rochefort pretty much obliterates reality with a musical. The characters aren't merely speaking their dialogue in melody, it's more like they can't help but burst into song. At any rate, it's a less interesting, experimental form and more of a standard musical, but it's entertaining and charming enough to be worthwhile. Very exuberant and fun to watch with all the vibrant primary colors. Some of the songs aren't very distinctive, though.

A girl dreams of the city, an American comes back from the 40's and will speak in parralel to this future; we get a detective plot of a murder to which the dream, the environment that is the film, remains immune. The elements are put there, though, and it is only upon our grasping them that the dream falls apart. This is the responsibility Demy forces us to - he is able to withhold himself from the act - leading to a kind of mono no aware.

from painstakingly coloured-in houses to endless french fries nobody ever actually seems to eat (or cook for that matter), once you chair-dance your way through a couple of hours in rochefort, it's where you'll want to spend the rest of your life.

Try watching this and not falling madly in love with Catherine Deneuve and Francoise Dorleac, musicals, France and pastels. Especially that last one.

Eye-popping! Blows most American musicals out of the park with its energetic acting and dancing, catchy score, elegant plot, stunning visuals and fluent camerawork. While "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" fills you with a wonderful melancholic sadness, this leaves you with a big smile on your face.

There's a tendency to underrate musicals because they offer such unadulterated pleasures. Surely, they must be superficial, or at best express only excellence in craft. But that's superficial thinking. There's no rule that something that makes us feel bad is better than something that makes us feel good. They're all part of the same pallette of expression, occupying different ends. The Young Girls of Rochefort inhabits the slot for enchantment.

As light-hearted and optimistic as film gets. The movie is designed to put a smile on your face from start to finish, and succeeds wildly. The contrived, intertwining romances, the song-and-dance numbers, the eye-popping use of color (all those gorgeous pastel outfits), the wholly charming cast of characters, the sheer playfulness of the entire production, and, oh yeah, Catherine Deneuve looking stunning...what's not to love?

The songs are fun while they last, but they don't quite sink their hooks into the brain. Instead, the film's signature is an intricately choreographed small world tapestry of candy colors and missed connections. Hopes and dreams elude these characters by literal mere steps, torturously out of reach until a final sequence of consummated affections. A release of tension which reaffirms this film's glee and optimism, and differentiates it from Cherbourg's lovesick tragedy.

watch it with friends who will dance with you

Now I seriously want to buy some pastel clothes and start to dance on the street with random beautiful lady who is accidentally my daughter or something.. oh no, it's november and raining. But I always have Rochefort.

Though Demy's world is exceedingly fluffy, it's also irresistibly well-crafted.

I can't not love this. Right out of the gate it's fast-paced, colorful fun. Good songs, eye-popping costumes and sets, and it can even be rather thoughtful at times. My only issue is the off-putting way a subplot about murder is introduced and treated with the same lighthearted glee as everything else. I understand this is keeping with Demy's MO but the effect is spoiled when it's so jarring.

Passion. Spirit. Love. Folly. Genius.

This sublime musical weaves an absurdly dense web of romantic misunderstandings while paying homage to Hollywood musicals with it's absurdly bright colours and constant dancing (all of the extras seem required to dance whenever Kelly is on screen). It's a beguiling mix of realism (all the sets are real locations, and oddly dark plot threads like an axe murder are woven into the narrative) and artificiality and weird meta humour.

Tremendously sad movie, like a farewell song to symmetry. The old dancer found chopped in a bag by her 40-year unrequited lover subtly echoes Delphine's poor romance with Guillaume. And the sailing painter is just too blond to be true.

This is already pure joy by the time Gene Kelly shows up, and he then becomes the cherry on top of this delightful, sparkling feel-good movie. Also, there something charmingly French about a joyous musical where sadistic murder and drunk children are treated as humorous asides.

In which vapid characterizations and hackneyed strands of plot come together in a spectacularly crafted web of musical genre logic, and fairly indistinct numbers weave in and out of each other to constitute a joyous harmonic artifice. Perfectly done, but I wasn't knocked out, if only because I prefer my musicals to be substantially gayer, and preferably starring Judy Garland or Liza Minnelli.

it’s so joyous, and filled with an energy for life. everything about this film is so beautiful, from the visuals to the form. goddam french existentialism has never been sexier. you have free will, choose to live intensely.

Uzun zamandir boyle guzel bir film izlememistim.

A bit too theatrical for my taste at times, but it's still a lot of fun.

Jacques Demy was pretty much the Jacques Tati of musicals.

A wholly conventional musical. It certainly has a stunning colour palette and a sense of pure fun about it, but it also embodies everything I dislike about musicals with its complete disregard of even internal consistency for the sake of random dance numbers. Still, I can't deny it has a quality that other people will enjoy, just not me.

# 288

'Lighter than air' describes Rochefort, a pastel town where the citizens spontaneously break out into song & dance, even when describing a woman being cut into pieces. There's also romantic yearning, about missed connections, and the desire to fulfill them. Michel Legrand's magnificent score has you anticipating how all of the characters relate to one another, especially when two of them sing the same melody to musically draw them together. Mi fa so la mi re, re mi fa so so so re do.

For the most part highly enjoyable, I love the energy, colour and optimism of it all. There are some really wonderful moments here, and it's often very, very fun. That said, I can't help but be irritated by how shallow some of the characters are: the attraction between the two main couples seems to be based entirely on looks, and yet the film wants us to think that it is the most romantic thing ever (which it really, really isn't). The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is quite a bit better.

Delphine, Solange: "We are a pair of twins born in the sign of Gemini, Mi fa so la mi re, Re mifa so so so re do, Who love catchy tunes, silly puns and repartee, Mi fa so la mi re, Re mifa so so so re do..."

417

Art direction: 100 Music: 85 Casting: 80 Plot: 40 Choreography: 50 Every frame in this movie is decadent as a Botticelli. The dialogue is occasionally witty, though overall, the plot drags & few of the chars are esp endearing (the twins were amusing; Mr. Dame sympathetic). It felt very loose & meandering, and a few of the songs & dances seemed unmotivated. But the music was splendid & eye candy galore. Romances were shallow & rather heartless. Jokes lost to subtitles. Best enjoyed in French.

A blitz of colour and movement, and an intoxicating experience. Feel-good through-and-through, although I actually found myself anxiously biting my nails in the final moments. Such a joyous movie, and I am now keen to reevaluate ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’, which left me feeling fairly indifferent when I saw it some years ago. Oh, and Jacques Perrin est très beau.

I would've given this delightful movie a 90-something score if there would have been more bright green in the main cast's outfits. Yvonne wore a chartreuse dress for a scene or few, but that was it.

This should fail for so many reasons: the ridiculous plot of random encounters, the gleeful over-the-top song and dance numbers, and the pretty odd non sequiturs that creep in (the axe murderer?!). Yet it appears everyone went all out in this film (especially with the background colors and costumes) that it's hard not to smile throughout. I don't think it's the best-ever musical, but it sure was a lot of fun to watch.

watched: 2012, 2015, 2021

Romance flicks are a bit of a guilty pleasure for me (As is Bollywood) and this is pretty damn good

A much more elaborate musical than Umbrellas of Cherbourg, but a lot less mature - in fact, is more a whimsical romance story than anything. It is definitely not set in any kind of reality, and is more fun than it is insightful. Still, the production of this film is something to take notice of, with dancing that really transports you into this world, with people choreographed in the background to dance, and always remaining visually interesting.

Not on the same level as Cherbourg. So pretty though the camera that can never seem to stop is a bit of a nuisance.

once again a stunning array of dance, music and colour, but this one didn't affect me quite as much as the umbrellas of cherbourg, partly because the music wasn't quite as radical or transcendent, but mostly because it didn't have the sense of tragedy, and i am a bit of a crank. nevertheless, it is still rather wonderful. it's interesting how the only happy films that i can stand are those that are entirely removed from reality.

Um único problema nesse filme: Gene Kelly aparecendo pouco.

The lovely songs, beautiful sets and entertaining story make for a satisfying feel-good counterpart to the more dramatic Umbrellas of Cherbourg.

For the most part I enjoyed this. Musicals are one of my least explored genres so it's nice to get to see one of the better ones. Though it was hard for me to get over the cheesiness throughout, I appreciated it for its bright, colorful cinematography, its beautiful sets and its optimistic feel. And I loved the ending. I do wish the film had more Gene Kelly though.

So this is one of those movies, where the plot in entirely made up of coincidences and people not talking to each other. And there's singing. A lot of it. Not particularly memorable tunes. Still, it's vibrant and fun and got me hooked on the stupid "will they meet at the end!?!?" plot line.

A better imagined and more expressive model of technicolor fantasy, spontaneous, delirious romance, and upbeat slice-of-life antics than anything ever produced in Hollywood. It offers a heightened version of the world that's idealistic but by no means trivial, a true ode to the weightless, tender joy of love that's more interested in embodying that spirit at all times than hitting the beats of conventional musical romances. It's the apotheosis of heartwarming romantic comedies.

Demy's well-loved jazz musical is uptempo, sun-soaked and features one of the best defined pallettes you'll ever see on film: mostly pastels, sailor-blue on white, and spots of gold and silver. Being written around little more than romantic cliches, the story doesn't move me, but it's not as bad as to cancel out the great superficial enjoyment offered by the song and dance and visual design.

424

Wonderful dancing and color, but colorless plot and characters... except for a wonderful supporting role by Gene Kelly.

Pastelicious, Jacques. Take it or leave it.

I loved Umbrellas of Cherbourg, so I went into this with high hopes, but it fell very flat for me. It's cute at times, and it was nice how things came together in the end, but the musical numbers didn't really do it for me, and there was some sort of magic missing when comparing it to Cherbourg, which was a very different film (less traditional musical.) There were weird subplots like the murder with even more bizarre payoffs. A disappointment.

#456

Watch it twice and your hooked, I''ve watched it 10.5 times so far.