Delayed Reaction: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

The Pitch: You know what would make this doomed romance story even better? Wall to wall singing of all the dialogue.

A young couple is kept apart by war and circumstance in a 1950s French town.

This is one of those well known movies only to film snobs. Most people, Americans at least, aren't as familiar with this, but it's a favorite of the film historian types, which I'm apparently working to become. It's a Jacques Demy film. He's one of those directors who you've probably heard of in a Frasier joke but otherwise are unfamiliar with. At least, that was my experience. It stars Catherine Deneuve, who is also mainly remembered by cinephiles at this point. It's a Palm d'Or winner, which is the fancy was of saying it was Best in Show at the Cannes Film Festival back in 1964.

It's easy to see how people fall in love with this movie. Demy fills this world with color and pretty people. The music never lets up. Every bit of dialogue is sung. It's quite hypnotic. I almost wanted to turn the subtitles off so I could just appreciate the melody and cadence of the singing. It's easy to get caught up in the sweet sounds. There's a magical realism to it. The story itself is pretty familiar. It has that bittersweet end that often marks the difference between Hollywood and European cinema.

There are classic movies that I reject the very notion that they should be classics (Network). There are movies that I don't get and just accept that other people see something in it that I don't (The Tree of Life). The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a little different. I see why it's a classic. I get the appeal. It just didn't happen to grab me in the right way. But, for anyone who loves musicals, this really is required viewing.

One Last Thought: Does the music only work because it's in a language I don't speak? Even in French, some of those lines didn't sound very comfortable. There's a lot of trying to fit 4 syllables in 3 beats. I guess it won at Cannes - a French film festival - so maybe I'm overthinking it. I couldn't shake that suspicion though. I kind of want to learn French so I can follow the words. I don't think that's worth the time investment though.

Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend