The Young Girls of Rochefort (1968)

So much average

Redundant and unnecessary.

Overrated and overhyped

Good concept, poorly executed.

From the same team that brought us The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Demy as director and LeGrand composing the score, is the equally delightful Young Girls of Rochefort. The costumes, sets, music and dance numbers are wonderful and joyful. The cast is solid enough, although the appearance of Gene Kelly did kind of throw me a bit, I guess for his considerable contributions to movie musicals was he included, although he was fine also. I didn't quite connect with Rochefort to the degree I did with Cherbourg, but still very much worth checking out.

Deciding to watch 100 French films over 100 days I began to talk to a fellow IMDber about what French cinema they enjoy.With having good memories from seeing auteur French New Wave film (FNW) maker Jacques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg after a rec from IMDb's Indian Cinema board,I was happy to spot this IMDber rec another Demy Musical,which led to me getting ready to meet the girls of Rochefort.The plot:Teaching ballet and music in the small town of Rochefort,sisters Delphine & Solange Garnier dream of meeting the love of their life as their single mum Yvonne runs a coffee shop,and Boubou goes to school. Arriving to perform in a circus, Étienne and Bill cross paths with the sisters and fall for them,but soon find out that they are not the only ones who have fallen for the girls of Rochefort.View on the film:Reuniting with Demy, Catherine Deneuve gives a sparkling performance as Delphine Garnier,whose glance at the mysterious painting Deneuve entwines with a long to identify the artist.Looking just as beautiful as her real sister, Françoise Dorléac gives a feisty performance as Solange Garnier,whose eyes Dorléac firmly sets on the present,and not the "what if." Delaying filming by 2 years due to other projects, Gene Kelly rewards Demy's patients with a great performance as Andy Miller,with Kelly's charms soaking the title in Golden Age Hollywood glamour.Originally planned as a companion piece to Cherbourg, (until the lead actor ran off!)writer/director Jacques Demy and cinematographer Ghislain Cloquet expand on the map set out by Cherbourg,from immaculate colour coding of everything that the Garnier's wear,to the streets of Rochefort looking like they have been covered in candy.Entering the coffee shop run by Yvonne Garnier, (played by a very good Danielle Darrieux) Demy lavishly gives his Musical numbers a depth of field with dazzling,gliding mirror shots casting the dreamy world of Rochefort out for miles and miles.Drastically re-writing the screenplay to replace the nods to Cherbourg,Demy bends the social issues of the French New Wave with the glitz of a high-kicking Musical. Leaving Yvonne without a partner,Demy touches on single parenthood with a smooth Musical touch which gives the FNW subject a light atmosphere stops the movie from slipping into a heavy-handed manner.Turning down the volume on the more poppy side of things from Cherbourg, Demy and composer Michel Legrand spin the Garnier's into swinging Jazz,which whilst sanding out some of the catching melodic sides does allow for the Garnier's optimism to shine over the stage,as Étienne and Bill meet the young girls of Rochefort.

If you like musicals and if you find the 60's enchanting than do not look further than this classic French number.The costumes are fantastically colourful full of pastels the style unmistakable, Hats are worn by both men and women... a different era, the characters even the meanies are charming it all sounds a bit whimsical but trust me it has humour as well as romance by the bag full.Solange and Delphine transport us in a universe where Love is all around and beats to the sounds of cool Legrand beats,the Master Jazz composer of this musical. Actors such as Michel Piccoli only ever seen singing and acting simultaneously in this film, adds a bit more depth to this cinematic sensation. Not that it's lightness should be taken for fluffiness, if you scratch the script a little you will notice hints of modernity, it is a musical that goes where not even Grease goes in terms of language and Les Demoiselles de Rochefort was made nearly 20 years earlier...The film has pinches of realism in this simple tell of 2 twin sisters looking for love in the city of Rochefort in 60's France of that you can be certain.I recommend this movie for 2 reasons. First the music, intoxicating Jazz numbers, American influenced yet continental texts, modern fluid dancing and singing...and the second reason is the story although simple it is punctuated by the arrival of meanies such as "les forins" or "Guillaume", even old man "DutrouZ" with a Z, hides something... for 90 minutes the viewer is projected into a family business a family a modern one so a little disjointed and controversial...and all this in the language of Moliere...rent it...buy it...whatever you do try and catch the Demoiselles de Rochefort you will smile all the more for it !

We loved this movie so much we went to visit the town of Rochefort. Stars from French and American cinema do wonderful work in the movie - Catherine Deneuve, Francoise Dorleac, Gene Kelly, George Chakiris, Danielle Darrieux, and Michel Piccoli. The version now available from Netflix is beautiful and has fine sound, but we noticed one song had been deleted that was in the version we saw 10 or 15 years ago. As for Rochefort, it's a nice place to visit, on the coast halfway between Bordeaux and Nantes. The remarkable "transbordeur" bridge shown in the opening and closing scenes has been restored for operation as a tourist feature.