The Umbrellas of Cherbourg = Les Parapluies de Cherbourg

France, 1964

Film
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With a luscious musical score by Michel Legrand, “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” is a lyrical fantasy about the nature of true love. Featuring astonishing colour cinematography and directed by Demy to resemble a fairy-tale, the story is about a young shop-girl (Catherine Deneuve) who falls in love with a working-class mechanic played by Nino Castelnuovo. Their romance ends when he is drafted into the Algerian War and she is left pregnant and alone. She marries the honourable merchant, Cassard (Marc Michel), but when she meets her first love years later, she has to choose between the safety of marriage and the passion and magic of her true love. Featuring glorious sets and art design, this musical has been honoured as one of the greatest of all movie musicals, winning the Palme d’Or in Cannes in 1964. The ravishing Deneuve has never been more beautiful and Castelnuovo is the epitome of Latin good looks - together they are one of the screen’s loveliest couples. This version of the film is based on the 1992 restoration by the French Ministry of Culture which faithfully restores the intense colour of the original.

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