It was in 1964 that French spectators discovered Jacques Demy’s musical feature film, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourga moving film that marks many generations!
This entirely sung film is based on a masterful score composed by Michel Legrand, to whom a documentary, released in cinemas on Wednesday December 4, pays tribute. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg notably won the Palme d’Or at the 66th Cannes Film Festival as well as the Louis Delluc Prize. The film continues to fascinate many spectators today thanks to its colorful aesthetic and its innovative character. Jacques Demy films his characters with a particular sensitivity and gentleness, which permeate his entire narration.
On the casting side, the film brings together renowned actors such as Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo and Anne Vernon and the director of Lola manages to capture each actor with unequivocal emotion.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg touched the hearts of many spectators around the world, telling the poignant story of a couple of lovers, Guy (Nino Castelnuovo) and Geneviève (Catherine Deneuve), forced to separate due to the Algerian war .
A taboo theme at the time: the Algerian War
If Jean-Luc Godard had already addressed the theme of the Algerian war in The Little Soldier (1963), The Umbrellas of Cherbourg directly explores the consequences of conflict on society. It is, moreover, one of the first films to deal with this subject, only two years after the end of the war.
The film highlights several dramatic consequences, including the breakup of the central couple and Geneviève’s forced marriage to Roland Cassard, another man, due to her pregnancy outside of marriage. Prepare your tissues: this film promises to bring torrents of tears!
ATTENTION SPOILER
The Algerian War lasted from 1954 to 1962. The feature film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg takes place over a period from November 1957 to December 1963.
In the first part, spectators discover the budding romance between Guy and Geneviève. However, their romance is abruptly cut short when Guy is called to the front. One of the most poignant scenes shows Guy announcing his departure to Geneviève in a café in Cherbourg, while one of Michel Legrand’s most famous tunes, I can never live without youresonates, undeniably amplifying the emotion of this tragic moment.
In the second part, Geneviève meets Roland Cassard, a man who agrees to marry her despite her pregnancy. Finally, in the very last part, Guy, discharged after a leg injury, returns to Cherbourg. There he finds Madeleine, a loving and devoted woman, whom he ends up marrying, accepting a destiny very different from the one he had imagined with Geneviève. If they find themselves in a gas station run by Guy, the latter chooses to stay with his partner Madeleine, leaving Geneviève to live her life with her daughter Françoise.
