Les Demoiselles de Rochefort (1967)
Directed by Jacques Demy

Film Review

The film musical has enjoyed an enduring popularity in American cinema, certainly until the late 1960s, but has been less well represented in European cinema. This is a shame, because the few film musicals which have been made by European directors are, generally, on a par with anything produced by Hollywood and, in some cases, offer so much more.  One such film is Jacques Demy's sensational Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, the French director's most ambitious project and a film which is regarded by many as the best French film musical ever made.

Demy's earlier film musical, Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, made in 1964, broke new ground in European film making and established Demy's international reputation as a director.  The bittersweet fantasy romance starred a platinum blond teenager, Catherine Deneuve, who has gone on to become one of the most famous actresses of her generation.  Demy recreates the magic of this earlier film in Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, which also starred Deneuve, cast along side her real-life sister, Françoise Dorléac.  (Dorléac's own film career was tragically cut short in June 1967,  within a year of making this film, when she was killed in a car accident in Nice.)

Appearing with the famous Dorléac sisters is the well-known French actress Danielle Darrieux and the celebrated American song-and-dance man Gene Kelly.  Overall, the film benefits from an impressive and talented cast, although Darrieux was the only actor in the film to sing her own songs.

Les Demoiselles de Rochefort is a genuinely uplifting, hugely energetic film which bubbles with the essence of 1960s vitality, captivating the viewer from the very first scene.  It is an unashamed homage to the American film musical, although some of the dance routines are noticeably less than perfect, something which acutually adds to the film's charm. The plot is pure Shakespearen farce, constantly teasing its audience as it keeps the pairs of lovers from meeting each other.  A soupçon of French poetic realism dowses the hopes of the young girls and their wistful mother, giving the film a tragic dimension which prevents it from ever becoming smoochy or too predictable.

Demy's witty and poetic dialogue is in perfect sync with Michel Legrand's magnificent musical score, and includes some splendid numbers, such as the well-known "Nous sommes deux soeurs jumelles" duet.  Having enjoyed the fruits of their collaboration on Cerbourg and Rochefort, you cannot help wishing that the two men had worked together on many more similar films.

Les Demoiselles de Rochefort is a rare oddity of French cinema which was something of an anachronism even in its own time.  (By 1967, the sixties optimism had already begun to turn to seventies cynicism, making Demy's film appear somewhat dated.)   Today, the very 1960s outfits and hairstyles suggest that it might have been unearthed on another planet (surely hats like those could never have been in fashion?).

Whilst the film met with a luke warm reception on its first release in France in 1967, it was almost universally praised when it was re-released in 1996 after some timely restoration work.

Few films celebrate the joy of life and living with such shameless ebullience and colour.  It transports its audience to a happier world, devoid of grime, cynicism and cruelty (although, strangely, covert axe murderers are permitted), a world where dreams come true and everyone lives happily ever after (axe murderers excluded).  There will always be a place for such films in the cinema, but they will succeed only if they are made with the enduring appeal of Jacques Demy's Les Demoiselles de Rochefort.

Film Synopsis

Delphine and Solange are twin sisters living in the French town of Rochefort. Delphine gives ballet lessons whilst Solange teaches music.  Both are tired of their humdrum existence and hope to make names for themselves in Paris.  Their mother, Yvonne, has ended up running a café after walking out on her boyfriend 10 years ago on account of his bizarre name, Monsieur Dame.  She does no know that the same Monsieur Dame has recently returned to Rochefort to run a music shop frequented by her daughter Solagne.  Maxence, an artist-poet on his military service, arrives in the town and paints a portrait of his ideal woman, which turns out to be Delphine.  Meanwhile, Solange meets and instantly falls in love with an old friend of Monsieur Dame, the famous composer Andy Miller, although the two suddenly lose sight of each other.  Will the happy pairs of lovers be united or will cruel fate keep them apart?