The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Demy, 1964) 60th anniversary

Written by Andie Kaiser

For its 60th anniversary Jacques Demy’s beloved 1964 musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is back in theatres, giving audiences the opportunity to see the film in a brand new 4k restoration which premiered earlier this year at Cannes. Regardless of whether you’ve seen this story countless times or if this is the first you’re hearing of it, there’s truly no better opportunity to see such a classic on the big screen.

Starring Catherine Deneuve (in her breakout role) and Nino Castelnuovo, the film tells the bittersweet story of young lovers Geneviève (Deneuve) and Guy (Castelnuovo). Madly in love and having dreamt up a future together, the lovers are suddenly separated when Guy is drafted to serve in the Algerian War.

Perhaps the most unique element of the film is its use of music, by which I mean it really only uses music. With every single line being sung, it truly feels like you’ve stepped into another, more whimsical world as soon as the story begins. And while it might seem odd or unnatural at first, trust me when I say that in no time you’ll be swept up by the musical language of the film, and any other mode of communication would simply feel wrong. The music is scored by the legendary Michel Legrand, who managed to imbue so much emotion into every word. By the time the film’s sweeping theme plays for the last time, you’ll have built up such a relationship with it that can immediately invoke goosebumps.

Ultimately, the film is about all the things in life that can come in the way of love, and it will resonate with anyone who has ever felt their future being pulled by factors beyond their control. What makes this theme so powerful in Cherbourg is its regularity— Geneviève and Guy are just normal, unlucky people. Their story is, in large part, dictated by regular human concerns about money and the comfort of their families. The fact that it is so ordinary is what ultimately makes their tale so heartbreaking. It’s a film haunted by the “what ifs,” and it manages to perfectly balance the complicated mixture of both nostalgia and contentment in its final moments.

While the story itself might feel somber, the visual elements of the film are anything but. The gorgeous pinks and blues are sharper than ever in this restoration, leaving you with the feeling of having eaten cinematic candy. Such bright colours are a far cry from what audiences are typically offered today, and it feels like a breath of fresh air to enjoy something so unabashedly colourful. One can only hope that more of Demy’s films get the 4k treatment in the years to come, as Cherbourg is certainly not the only example of the director’s love for music, romance, and brightly colour-coordinated outfits and set pieces.