The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a 1964 musical romantic drama film written and directed by Jacques Demy, with music by Michel Legrand. Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo star as two young lovers in the French city of Cherbourg, separated by circumstance. The film's dialogue is entirely sung as recitative, including casual conversation, and is sung-through, or through-composed, like some operas and stage musicals. It has been seen as the middle part of an informal "romantic trilogy" of Demy films that share some of the same actors, characters, and overall look, coming after Lola (1961) and before The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967). The French-language film was a co-production between France and West Germany.
Plot
Madame Émery and her beautiful 17-year-old daughter Geneviève have a tiny, struggling umbrella boutique in the coastal town of Cherbourg in Normandy. Guy is a handsome young auto mechanic who lives with and cares for his sickly aunt and godmother Élise. Though Geneviève's mother disapproves, Guy and Geneviève are deeply in love; they plan to marry and name their first child Françoise. At the same time, Madeleine, a quiet young woman who looks after Guy's aunt, is secretly in love with Guy.
Awards
Cast
- Anne Vernon
- Catherine Deneuve
- Christiane Legrand
- Claire Leclerc
- Claudine Meunier
- Danielle Licari
- Dorothée Blanck
- Ellen Farner
- Georges Blaness
- Gisèle Grandpré
- Harald Wolff
- Hervé Legrand
- Jacques Demy
- Jean Champion
- Jean-Claude Briodin
- Jean Cussac
- Jean-Pierre Dorat
- Jean Valière
- José Bartel
- José Germain
- Marc Michel
- Michel Legrand
- Mireille Perrey
- Myriam Michelson
- Nino Castelnuovo
- Patrick Bricard
- Philippe Dumat
- Raoul Curet
- Rosalie Varda
More details
| author | Jacques Demy |
|---|---|
| award | Louis Delluc Prize Palme d'Or |
| director | Jacques Demy |
| editor | Anne-Marie Cotret Monique Teisseire |
| events | Algerian War |
| genre | drama |
| keywords | a great cathedral algerian war of independence cherbourg christmas eve coastal town conscription in france draft drink first time gas station godmother godparent injured lola lose married normandy red light santa claus struggle young girl young woman |
| musicBy | Michel Legrand |
| nomination | Academy Award for Best International Feature Film Academy Award for Best Original Score Academy Award for Best Score, Adaptation or Treatment Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay |
| producer | Mag Bodard |
| productionCompany | Beta Film GmbH Madeleine Films Parc Film |
| publisher | 20th Century Fox |
| recordedAt | passage Pommeraye |
| theme | musical musical drama romantic drama romantic musical |