Genevieve and Guy (Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo) are young lovers wanting to be married. Unfortunately, life gets in the way. The TCM description included a second act spoiler, but I won’t go any further. Other films deserve to be spoiled, but not this one.
Umbrellas of Cherbourg is referred to as a “sung-through” musical, meaning 100% of the dialog is sung. Not like a song, just sung. Quite frankly this irritated me a bit early on. It’s not an efficient way to tell a story. Plus reading subtitles draws your eye from the visual side of the story, which is a shame. Cherbourg looks terrific.
I needed to watch something different. Too many generic old-Hollywood comedies and lower-tier genre pictures, I was in a rut. I think I’ve been too focused on checking boxes rather than watching films I would actually enjoy. I immediately turned to foreign film, of which I have a few at my disposal. To this day I haven’t seen a Sophia Loren film (for the blog, that is), something I must rectify. TCM doesn’t run her films very often, but that’s no excuse. Catherine Deneuve is also underrepresented and I heard good things about Umbrellas, so there it is.
And the nineteen year old Deneuve was fantastic. A very mature and convincing performance. Those expecting to be overwhelmed by her charm and beauty may be disappointed. Be prepared for serious acting. As serious as it gets in a musical, that is. If only TCM would play Belle de Jour.
Umbrellas is a film about young lovers being separated, growing up, making choices, and what comes of it all. It’s a rather touching film. If you are turned off by all of the dialog being sung, well, get over it. The movie deserves a little effort. The story isn’t complicated but it bears rewatching. Once familiar with the story, and a few French phrases, the watcher can concentrate on the cinematography and mise-en-scene, which are spectacular. I will rewatch it, if I can find someone to watch it with me. AMRU 4.
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