JACQUES DEMY: JUST DANCE AND SING
French director Jacques Demy created two stunning masterpiece musicals during his lifetime: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) and The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)…. Yet neither his films nor the man himself are widely known among the general public, and even among some supposed “musical nerds”. While some themes Demy has tackled in his other works definitely don’t work for most people, his two most accessible, popular films are still considered… underrated. And unfortunately, I’m not surprised as to why.
Demy’s first musical is The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) is a melodramatic and seemingly simple film about a couple who are drifted apart. It's a conventional premise, but pretty much everything else about the film sets it apart from most films in its genre and make you understand why it’s not that well known. The film features no expertly choreographed dance numbers, unbearable joy, fairy tales, and memorable songs, but rather melodrama, sadness, heartbreak, and the reality of everyday life. Fun, right? The point is, Cherbourg is a musical unlike any other…
(pictured on the right: Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) - a French musical from Jacques Demy surrounding the relationship between a young woman and a soon-be-solider). Image source: Criterion
The film is entirely sung through from beginning to end - every line of dialogue, thought, feeling, or interaction is expressed in song form whether it's a declaration of love or small talk with the postman. It’ll catch you off guard and come off as a bit jarring at first, but you only need to wait a few minutes for it to appear so natural & mesmerizing that you barely notice it. Thus, the film doesn’t really have as many memorable songs as your typical musical - instead, the entire film can be considered one operatic song for the ages, and as the music never really stops, it creates a truly immersive, symphonic experience while infusing the most mundane, ordinary occurrences with magic - saving the film from being too devastatingly real.
And instead of any choreographed dance numbers, the entire film is meticulously choreographed as every movement - whether it’s that of the camera or the actors - flows to the rhythm of the music.
Absolutely nothing about the film should work, but it does. The film is without a doubt more grounded and realistic than your fair share of musicals, but Demy found the perfect balance between such conflicting ideas and tones, that expertly aided him in crafting this film, which might seem too devastating or flat if it wasn’t for his creative storytelling choices and techniques.
Where one would say you would need to be an optimist or a romantic to truly enjoy most movie musicals, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a universal film for romantics, optimists, realists, and pessimists alike. It’s a realistic love story through and through - it’s romantic yet it’s not, it’s fantastical yet mundane, it shouldn’t work but it does. It’s no wonder the film went on to be the main inspiration for Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, a film that shares many strengths with TUOC.
It’s a film that demands your attention - not because it’s in a foreign language and they’re singing all the way through - but because from the moment the opening credits start rolling, you simply don’t want to look away. It’s visually captivating, as Demy offsets the dreary & gloomy story and setting of Cherbourg with vibrant, masterful visuals that bring the film to life.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is sure to be outside of most people’s comfort zone, musical fans and haters alike, but it’s a film everyone should experience. And if I haven't convinced you of it, Demy’s other musical might just do the trick…..
Demy followed up TUOC with something a little more traditional when comparing it to both Hollywood musicals as well as the French New Wave films of the time - The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967). The film shares many similarities with TUOC - highlighting important things to the director and themes he holds dear: love, dreams, family, duty, taking place in a seaside French town Except it’s entirely opposite in tone as The Young Girls of Rochefort is an absolute delight of a film.
The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) follows twin sisters who live in a quiet port town in France, longing for the big-city life, love, and an escape…. We actually follow a handful of people in the small town of Rochefort rather than just the two girls, with a simple story connecting them plot-wise. Similar to TUOC, TYGOR deals with the themes of dreams, second chances, and missed opportunities. Criterion described the film as a “tribute to Hollywood optimism from sixties French cinema’s preeminent dreamer (Demy)” and I think that’s an incredibly accurate, concise, and perfect description of the film.
(pictured on the right: Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac in The
Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) - another musical from Jacques Demy
following twin sisters in a little seaside town in France with big dreams.. Image source: Criterion
Demy emerged as a filmmaker during the French New Wave movement of the 1960s, which were more low-budget, gritty and realistic over colorful, optimistic, joyful, and musical. Demy challenged the films of his country at that time, firstly by providing a realistic yet extremely colorful film in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, then by being completely optimistic - as most Hollywood musicals are - all without losing quintessential French elements in The Young Girls of Rochefort.
It’s more of a traditional musical, but just the fact that it is so is challenging the films of his time and his country. Where Demy’s other fantastic musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a bit more realistic (& thus, rare) and might even have a bit more depth to it, Rochefort’s optimism is enchanting. It’s definitely too serendipitous for it to be anything remotely close to being realistic, but I don’t mind that at all as that’s the case with most musicals & one of the reasons I love films of the genre so much. It’s a perfect film to put on when you need a dose of happiness or feel the need to escape, just like the girls in the film. It’s a harmonious film full of love, laughter, color, dance numbers, and happiness.
And in actuality, it isn’t too far from how Demy himself sees the world. When questioned on his decision to create musicals during the French New Wave when everyone longed for realism, Demy stated that he simply saw singing as a natural form of expression, or that it should be considered natural, and that if people were to sing instead of speak when conducting mundane tasks, “it would make life more pleasant”. It’s a truly optimistic, wonderful point of view that clearly comes across through this two musicals. How beautiful and rare is it for a person to see life in song…
“I’m trying to create a world in my films.”
—Jacques Demy
Demy and Catherine Deneuve on the set of The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is charming devastation, yet The Young Girls of Rochefort is devastating charm. The heart and realism of both films are what ultimately get to you and make them work, and the (somewhat) traditional musical elements help soften the blow. It’s not entirely a fantasy and it’s not entirely reality either - there’s a perfect balance. It’s safe to say that through his musicals, Demy highlights the magic in our everyday lives. Whereas most musicals seem a bit detached from our reality, Demy illustrates how a simple, human story can be beautiful & magical.