The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

 Jacques Demy's "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg"


The very first piece of information you'll ever hear about Jacques Demy's 1964 musical, "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" is that every single line of dialogue is sung. While this may dismay those who are rubbed the wrong way by the aesthetic and format, "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" surprises you in how easily it is to forget that you're even watching a musical. As the viewer sinks into this melancholic tale of love, loss, and circumstance, you can't help but to get caught in the tidal wave of emotion and pleasant heartbreak.

The film follows Genevieve and Guy, a young couple in love wanting to get married, despite the disapproval of Genevieve's mother, Emery. After Guy gets drafted into the army for a two-year stint, he leaves his newly pregnant Genevieve with a promise that he'll return once his service is through. However, given the improper social circumstances and economic restraints, Genevieve becomes betrothed to a handsome rich man, leaving Guy. Upon Guy's return, he must reconcile with this new reality and move on with his life.

It's easy to say that using the concept of recitative dialogue is gimmicky. I must admit that when I began the film, I struggled with it at first. However, it really proves a point that one can 'fall' into a piece and be completely absorbed with the story despite this component. In fact, the recitative dialogue makes the film as exemplary as it is. By the film's end, one is filled with such emotion for what's happening on screen with these beloved characters that one cannot even view the film through an objective lens. It simply becomes experiential. 

Demy's intention to this casual observer seems to be that everyday stories of normal people in the heart wrenching circumstances of life are just as cinematic and beautiful as anything cinema could offer. This is precisely the thematic premise of his previous film, 1961's "Lola."  Demy is taking hold of the concepts introduced by Rene Clair in his 1930 poetic realist piece "Under the Roofs of Paris" and updating them to the styles and aesthetics of a 1950s Hollywood musical. 

Basically, "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" blew me away more than any other musical I've ever seen, save "Singing' in the Rain." It is a timeless piece of global cinema that will forever be adored by anyone who has the great fortune to watch it. I am firmly confident to say it was one of the greatest musicals I've ever seen and one of the greatest pieces of artistic cinema in the history of film.



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