The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg - 50th Anniversary

Jacque Demy’s acclaimed and award-winning masterpiece of French New Wave cinema pays homage to Hollywood’s golden age of musicals, and sees a young Catherine Deneuve as the love-stricken daughter of a struggling umbrella shop owner.

Voted “No. 14 Best Romantic Film of All Time” by The Guardian, The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg is a “film in song” and unlike the classical musical, here all of the dialogue is sung.

Presented in various chapters, the story is set in the coastal town of Cherbourg, Normandy, in the 1950’s. There, Madame Emery (Anne Vernon), together with her pretty 17-year old daughter Geneviéve (C. Deneuve), runs a little umbrella shop (hence the title of the film). The shop is as chic and as colourful as the umbrellas displayed in the window, but business has seen better days and the widowed Madame Emery has a hard time trying to make ends meet. Adding to her worries is Geneviéve’s love for Guy Foucher (Nino Castelnuovo), a young and handsome mechanic who equally is madly in love with the pretty girl but can hardly provide for her. Geneviéve’s mother, however, feels that her daughter is far too young and inexperienced too get married and tries to talk her out of her plans, nonetheless the couple are determined to exchange vows sooner rather than later. As fate would have it, Guy is drafted in as a soldier to fight at the Algiers War and after one last night of passionate lovemaking he reluctantly takes up his new post. Leaving a heartbroken Geneviéve behind, she swears that she will wait for him no matter what. Soon after Guy’s departure, she realizes that she is expecting his child.

Months pass by, and the domestic situation goes from bad to worse… the little umbrella shop is in danger of closing down, while Madame is additionally worried about the looming scandal of her daughter’s now very visible pregnancy. A chance encounter with Roland Cassard (Marc Michel), a dashing and wealthy jewellery dealer, promises a change of luck. After having bought some family jewellery of Madame Emery, thus saving the business from going under, she invites him for dinner. After Geneviéve excuses herself with a headache, Cassard confesses to her mother that he wishes to marry the young girl. Immediately, Madame sees an end to her financial troubles. She urges her daughter to marry the wealthy businessman who even tolerates the girl’s pregnancy by another man… Seeing how Guy hardly ever writes to her since stationed in Algiers, Geneviéve reluctantly accepts the marriage proposal.

Some time later, Guy returns from the war and immediately makes his way to the umbrella shop, only to learn that it has closed down, and that his beloved got married to someone else and has moved to Paris. Bitter, disillusioned and injured with a limp, he begins to drink and soon quarrels with his former boss, prompting him to leave the job as a mechanic. Back in his apartment, the pretty but unassuming Madeleine (Ellen Farner), who cared for Guy’s godmother during his absence, tells him the sad news that she has passed away. As their grief brings them closer, he eventually asks for her hand in marriage and she accepts.

The movie’s final chapter is set in 1963. Guy and Elaine are happily married and have a little boy, by now he also manages his own Esso petrol station. On Christmas eve, while Elaine and son are out for a brief walk, a car pulls up at the gas station. The driver is Geneviève, who immediately recognises Guy and tells him that this is the first time she is visiting Cherbourg since her marriage. She furthermore reveals that her mother has recently died. Guy and Geneviéve come to realize that their love was merely idealistic puppy love, and that now, as proper adults, both have found love with other partners… Guy also refuses to meet his daughter which he never met. They then part and carry own with their own lives.

The film is a visual feast, where the colour code is as important as the dialogue… sung and never, not once, spoken. Great attention has been paid to the interior décor and the way the colours match the actor’s outfits. This timeless tale really is a feast for the eyes!

To celebrate the film’s 50th Anniversary, the restored DVD and Blu-ray features the following Extras:

• Geoff Andrew on THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG
• Virginie Ledoyen on THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG
• Once Upon a Time: THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG documentary (52mins)
• The World of Jacques Demy documentary (92mins)
• Audio interview with Catherine Deneuve (80mins)
• The restoration of THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (5mins)
• Stills gallery
• Original 1963 trailer
• 2013 Trailer