Rating: 
Summary: GORGEOUS
Review: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is quite simply one of the most gorgeous movies ever made -- not only are the visuals eye-popping with day-glo 60s fashion and color, and the French settings awash with sumptuous, tactile beauty -- the cast is stunningly beautiful, every one of them -- and the score, by Michel Legrand, gives the movie a swirlingly romantic narrative that is thru-sung, with no spoken dialog. It is intoxicating, to say the least. And the simple, melancholy story grabs and clutches at your throat, since it has the sting of truth. This is one of those films that makes you so glad that movies were invented.
Rating:
Summary: Classic French Film
Review: This classic French romance film is a lasting work of art not only because music and scenery is breathtaking, but also because the storyline is passionate and well developed. A young man and his girlfriend are deeply in love and are pondering marriage even though they will be poor. Tragedy strikes the two lovers when the boyfriend receives his draft notice to fight in the Algerian war. The young woman's mother becomes poor and she is forced into a marriage she doesn't like. 2 years later, the boyfriend comes home...
Rating:
Summary: A Landmark in Motion Picture History
Review: 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' ("Les Parapluies de Cherbourg") may well be one of the three most important French films ever made. The other two positions would probably go to 'Les enfants du Paradis' ("The Children of Paradise") and 'La Belle Verte' ("The Beautiful Green"). French critics unanimously agree that its one of the most telling remnants of the 1960s, and the fact that it made Catherine Deneuve a star is of little consequece when you look at the picture as a whole - think of it as the French equivalent to The Beatles' 'Magical Mystery Tour', at least in terms of spirit.Why is this little-seen gem one of the best examples of superior motion picture-making? Well, for one, not one word of dialogue is spoken. Everything is in the form of song. While this might repel audiences who aren't exactly enthralled by Andrew Lloyd Webber or a night out at the opera, this is definitely not a soppy Italian-style operetta with everyone grieving all around. On the other hand, what we are treated to is a timely romantic tale, both spiritual and grave in its' treatment. The story is pretty straightforward. Catherine and Nino Castelnuovo are lovers - Catherine owns an umbrella shop with her mother, and Nino is a car repair-man at the local garage. When he gets called away for the war (I love how this film managed to side-step any possible political statement, and instead focusses on the lovely curtains in Catherine's bedroom) our heroine finds herself pregnant. The rest of the story is extremely compelling. It succeeds where even a film like 'Dancer in the Dark' failed. That film attempted to whip its' audience into a weeping frenzy by going all out for the punch - this one manages to do so with the utmost simplicity, and triumphs when its' time comes. And the music is instantly reminiscent of the beauty of the era. Everyone probably knows how this film ends - our starcrossed lovers never do end up together. In fact, Catherine marries a man who is willing to 'take her in', and Nino fathers his own child and marries another woman. All this because of a bitter miscommunication that forms the crux of the film. I love this movie because it never pretends to be something its not, and no-one is perfect. Its' heroine gets pregnant out of wedlock, and the hero is never shown to be a totally 'moral' man (in one scene, he pays for a sexual encounter). But with the French, its not about morality, but matters of the heart, be it torrid or tame, and this is where 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' towers the most. There are two gutwrenching scenes in this film. One is where Jacques has to leave for the war, and the two lovers say goodbye at the train station. The other, of course, is the chilling, colder-than-ice climax that would probably have you burst into tears and remember your past loves lost. Quite frankly, I have never sat through a film where the ending runs quite unspectaculary, but leaves you totally shaken. I bought this film on DVD recently and am touched to discover how this movie stands up to the test of time. Perhaps more poignant and relevant now in a world gone mad, I seriously recommend you get this film to bring back the ideals of goodness, purity and the rarity that is young love, back into your life. The DVD itself is a splendid little piece. There are no real extras, but there are English subtitles. The film is divided by date, and the chapters (there are nine) corelate to the dates. The only thing that saddened me is that there was no way to view the film as it was originally created - in three parts. But to have this movie on DVD itself is a boon, so I won't go on. There is also a 're-issue' ad for when the movie was re-released in 1992. This ad only features the sad train station sequence, with the epic score playing in the background. There are also cast filmographies (Deneuve laters returned to do the 'sequel' to this movie, entitled 'The Young Girls of Rochefort', while Nino never really gained star status - this film, alongwith 1962's 'Escapade in Florence' remains his best works). I liked how the DVD was, like the movie, simple and smart. There is a 'restoration' section on the DVD, but this is just a text document that explains how Jacques Demy's widow Agnes supervised the recreation process. Its a marvel that Jacques had the good sense to save this film on different mediums back in the 60s. If not, we would never get to see this edition. The soundtrack to this film is also notorious. There are people in France, especially the '60s lot, who know the entire film word-for-word. A brilliant exercise, and I recommend that you let your children do the same. I never knew that there was a film built upon this music until much later in my life - indeed, when you hear the opening strains of the score, you'll be able to instantly recognize it, but will fail to place it. If you're shopping on Amazon, I would highly recommend that you also pick up the rare 2-CD soundtrack set - its really worth it. Get this for yourself, and your children. "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" is one of those rare instances where you rediscover how wonderful it was to be in love, and how sometimes time sweeps away and erases with it the possibilities of different destinies, different outcomes. It will make you reexamine your life and make you wonder where you had lost yourself down this long road we call life. And any film that can do that, is a top notch effort in my book. Epic, touching, and never boring, 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' is one of the true classics of the twentieth century. I highly recommend this to anyone who has a heart.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and totally unique
Review: Through composiotion, in which every line of dialogue is sung, is common enough in opera, but rare in musicals; for most fans of theater and movies, "Evita" was the first example of this stylistic technique they'd ever seen. But long before "Evita", Jaques and Michel Legrand pioneered this style in "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg". At first it's a little jarring. Mechanics in a garage are washing up, and singing to each other as they do. "What are you doing tonight?" "I'm going dancing. What are you doing?" It seems all very unnatural. But very quickly the viewer adjusts to the style, and it begins to seem not at all unusual. Legrand's music is of course wonderfully lyrical, and the combination of the music, the pastel colors that dominate the sets and the soft lighting result in a look not unlike the great MGM musicals- though with a very French feel. The story is a perfect tragic romance; boy and girl fall in love, they're seperated, and find love elsewhere- while still remembering each other. The entire cast are warm and sympathetic, and Catherine Deneuve in her first major role is breathtakingly beautiful. If you love musicals, and you like the classic post-war French cinema, you'll find in this film the perfect synthesis of the two genres.
Rating:
Summary: Life goes on
Review: Subtle yet emotionally wrenching "movie in song" in glorious color about two young lovers torn apart by the Algerian War. The gorgeous Catherine Deneuve is breathtakingly luminous as the romantic yet mature seventeen-year old Genevieve Emery who finds herself unmarried and pregnant after her lover has departed for the war. Handsome Nino Castelnuovo (who resembles a young Louis Jourdan) stars as Guy Foucher, a garage mechanic of humble means who is equally in love with Genevieve. Tells the simple yet effectively poignant tale in three parts as in an operetta--the separation, departure, and reunion, with such a great deal of emotional depth experienced by the characters that we are totally engulfed in their story. The supporting cast is wonderful as well, with Anne Vernon as Genevieve's mother, a realistic woman who only wants the best for her child; Marc Michel as Genevieve's wealthy and kind suitor who is obsessively lovestruck and marries her despite the fact she is carrying another man's child; and lovely Ellen Farner as Guy's wife, the gentle yet strong young woman who consoles an understandably bitter and disillusioned Guy when he comes back from the war to find his beloved guardian dying and Genevieve married and raising his child with another man. This movie is more than just a heartbreaking tale about two lovers, however; it is about how young love doesn't always last and that we have to make practical decisions in life.
Rating:
Summary: Into each life some rain must fall.
Review: This is a magical heart-wrenching film that you simply cannot get up and leave, as if it has taken your hand and leads you through to the bittersweet end. The script is set completely to famous French tunes and sung by all as a real-life operetta. It is the story of a daughter's down to earth journey from teen to woman living and working with her mother in a small accessory shop. Note in particular the hairdos that symbolize the characters' changes as they go through periods of their lives on film. This is most definitely a buyer and a keeper, especially as a reminder that sometimes it rains and sometimes it shines, but both are necessary for growth. A most definite tearjerker.
Rating:
Summary: sound and scene cannot leave you!
Review: I have watched this more than ten times. Each time I am moved by the color and music in this movie. Each color metaphors each actor's feeling and enhances scene's atomosphere. There is one theme colour for each scene is you can enjoy it just by watching it. It goes without saying that the music is awsome. The theme song was pretty popular here in Japan also and it is composed pretty well. Refering to the topic, it is not only a sort of romantic love story but also we can see how one young woman lives. How the sociey went. Happily the army system was changed now! Well in the end I strongly recommend this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly overrated
Review: This is a tribute to the sappiness of the early 1960s, a juvenile melodrama, wholly predictable, sung in French. The three or so Michel Legrand songs are beautiful, and they are hammered at you over and over until you no longer care. The actors should get much credit (the parts are extremely high), and the photography is good. Buy the CD and skip the soap opera.
Rating:
Summary: Unusual, Haunting, and Challenging Film
Review: "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" received a great deal of attention upon its release, becoming one of the most widely seen and greatly praised French films of its decade. Even so, I myself did not have the opportunity to see the film until yesterday evening, when it aired on Turner Movie Classics on 18 August 2001. My immediate response is to order the film for my own collection. "Umbrellas" is an unlikely film. One does not associate musical genres, much less operetta, with French cinema; given the musical nature of the film, one certainly does not expect the story line to turn on upon an illegitimate pregnancy; still less does one expect to find Catherine Deneuve in a singing role. But "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" gives us precisely that, played out against a sometimes jarring, sometimes lyrical jazz-influenced score by Michel Legrande. And perhaps the most surprising element of the film is that there is not so much as a single spoken word in the entire film: everything is sung. The story, set in the late 1950s and early 1960s, concerns young garage mechanic Guy (Castelnuovo) who is passionately in love with Genevieve (Denueve). The relationship is greatly opposed by Genevieve's mother Madame Emery (Anne Vernon), who feels the young man has little offer her daughter. Fate complicates the relationship when Guy is drafted and Madame Emery makes the acquaintance of Roland (Marc Michel), a young man of whom she approves, and determines to marry her daughter to him--in spite of the fact that Genevieve is unexpectedly pregnant by the now-absent Guy. Although the film and its story may sound a bit complicated, both are quite simple in execution, and therein lies much of the film's charm. You will not find high-volume, high-intensity arias or duets or the like performed by powerful voices in "Umbrellas of Cherbourg;" the cast plays both music and story very simply, cleanly, and without pretense. The cinematography is equally clean but surprisingly lyrical, and moves easily between realistic location shots of the city and the highly stylized interior designs. Everything is done without fuss, and even the story line has a certain predictability and inevitablity: we know that all life will not run smoothly for Guy, Genevieve, Roland, and Madame Emery, and we sympathize with them--but such is the nature of life, and the tranquility of the film itself allows us to approach their problems with affection rather than intense involvement. Although created by then-youthful artists, "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" is perhaps best appreciated by an older audience, who can react to the film from their own knowledge of the compromises that life requires and the changes a passage of time can bring. Still, for all its charm, appeal, and delicate impact, "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" can take a bit of getting used to. The score features one widely popular melody, known in English as "(If It Takes Forever) I Will Wait For You," but the lyricism of this peice is actually a bit atypical of the score, which is often jazzy in a way that seems alien to American ears. And it is occasionally startling to hear such mudane dialogue as "Did you check the gentleman's oil" sung in a garage. But in a curious way the aesthetic distance the music sometimes creates is precisely the element which allows us to approach the film with such tranquility; we detach from it just enough to regard it as an object of art, but not enough to detract from our appreciation of its artistry. "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" is an unusual film, yes. It is also a remarkably haunting one, a film that lingers on in the memory like the ghost of lost love from one's own past. Not every one will be able to make the leap required by the film's self-created conventions, but those who can will find it a charming, touching, softly-sad, softly-funny, and very memorable experience.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!
Review: This is a must see! Fantastic film! Storyline, and musical scores are tops! What more can be said?
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