The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

"The Umbrellas of Cherbourg has stood the test of time as beautifully as Deneuve and seems likely to enchant future generations as fully as it has audiences for the past five decades." – Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

In his review of La La Land, Miami Herald film critic Rene Rodríguez suggests: "You could write a thesis paper examining the films he [Damien Chazelle] lifts from, most notably The Umbrellas of Cherbourg ... ." An angelically beautiful Catherine Deneuve was launched to stardom by this dazzling musical heart-tugger from Jacques Demy. She plays an umbrella-shop owner's delicate daughter, glowing with first love for a handsome garage mechanic played by Nino Castelnuovo. When the boy is shipped off to fight in Algeria, the two lovers must grow up quickly. In France, Umbrellas won the Prix Louis Delluc (Best Film of the Year) and the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. In the US, it was nominated for five Academy Awards, an unprecedented feat for a foreign-language film. Exquisitely designed in a kaleidoscope of colors, and told entirely through the lilting songs ("If it takes forever / I will wait for you") of the great composer Michel Legrand, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is one of the most revered and unorthodox movie musicals of all time.

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