The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
Grade: 91
Has there ever been a film more lovely than "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg"? Pretty faces, voices, melodies and colors; it's a film where tenement walls are painted bright green, and ageless mothers are as lovely as their daughters. Only once is there a respite from relentless beauty, when Guy shows up for work in a dirty uniform.
The strength of "Cherbourg" comes from its sets, its melodies, and its story. But it is known chiefly for its cinematic invention of dialogue sung not spoken. Its songs are all derived from the dialogue between two characters. This might seem a gimmick if the 'script' wasn't so revealing of character, or if the Michel Legrand melodies weren't so memorable. But not even the most cynical of observers can prevent from being swept away by the film's brilliance.
The story is pure romance. It begins in France of 1957. Guy (Nino Castelnuovo) is a young auto mechanic who dreams of operating his own gas station. He lives with his sickly Godmother (Mireille Perrey) who is nursed by comely, gentle Madeleine (Ellen Farner). Genevieve (Catherine Deneuve) is a young woman who works in a financially failing umbrella store owned by her mother (Anne Vernon). Guy and Genevieve are lovers, but are parted by his drafting into the war with Algeria.
(Some spoilers follow, which are needed in order to better analyze the film. You've probably either already seen the film or never will, but otherwise, at least now you've been warned.)
A final encounter with Guy leaves Genevieve pregnant. Her mother schemes to remedy the situation by marrying her off to wealthy, well-mannered diamond merchant Roland (Marc Michel, reprising his character from director Jacques Demy's earler film "Lola"). This comes to pass. Guy returns from the war, and after some sulking makes the equally practical decision of marrying loyal Madeleine.
A final, accidental encounter between Genevieve and Guy is wistful but only confirms that both have made the right decision. That "Cherbourg" begins with such an intense romance between the leads, and ends with them as virtual strangers, is as strong a commentary about the fleeting nature of love as can be found in cinema.
kollers@mpsi.net http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html
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