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Summary: genevieve, je t'aime
Review: what a beautiful film! the music, the heartwrenching love story, and the colorful scenery all add up to one conclusion- the umbrellas of cherbourg. it's a take on romeo and juliet- two star-crossed lovers who are unable to remain together. the musical score from michel legrand contains incredible emotional impact, as well as some very memorable tunes. see this movie. it's exquisite!
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Summary: One of the Best!
Review: I won't bother saying once again what this film is about - plenty of other reviewers have done that before me. What I will say is that I tend to be a film snob. I usually detest predictable Hollywood films that are usually more concerned with spectacular visual and booming sound effects than substance or storyline. My tastes traditionally run toward hard-hitting independent and foreign film. And, I am almost never interested in stories dealing with romance. There is, however, one notable exception. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is one of the greatest films of all time. Not only is it remarkable due to its musical delivery of dialogue, but it is also incredibly striking visually! And, it's so rare that a movie actually makes me cry. This one achieves that feat great skill. I've seen it over and over again! I usually can't watch even my favorite films more than once - somehow a second viewing "damages" the experience for me. But, not so with The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. I can honestly watch it 100 times. It's just that beautiful! And, strangely enough, it gets better each time I see it. I can't recommend this film enough, especially to those who may not have been born during its 1964 release. You're in for a real treat!
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Summary: One Of My Favorite French New Wave Films
Review: A genuinely classic retelling of the boy meets girl, boy loses girl, and boy finds her again tale sung to Michel LeGrand's great jazz score. As another reviewer correctly notes, "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" is a movie operetta, set primarily during the Algerian War of Independence. The brightly colored sets have a definitive 1960's look, yet do not seem dated at all. The performances are all first rate, especially Catherine Deneuve's. If you see it at home, then you should purchase this VHS tape; however, it should be seen instead at your neighborhood revival film theater.
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Summary: So 60s, you'll feel like you're on acid!
Review: In a sense, this recently restored film is a straightforward boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-and-girl-meet-again tale. But really, there's nothing typical about this jewel of French cinema from the 60s. The scenario is completely sung. The sets are pure psychedelia. Yet, the melodies and melodrama are absolutely hypnotic. The acting is uniformly excellent and comes through the music with every nuance intact. Most striking is the over-the-top visual beauty (check out the sumptuous wallpaper in every room!). Jacques Demy and Michel Legrand turned what could easily have been a very mundane little romance story into a poetic and beautiful tale of adolescence angst and innocence compromised. If you're into romance films, the retro style of the 60s, Catherine Deneuve, and/or underappreciated aspects of French New Wave cinema, then this baby is a must-see. If none of those things appeal, whatsamatta with you?
Rating:
Summary: A Beauty
Review: Sorry to read about the viewer who got a bad disc - this happens to be a nice presentation of a beautiful restoration of a terrific and innovative film. Beautiful to look at and to listen to. The extras are quirky, like the tiny bios, for instance. But all in all, a winner.
Rating: 
Summary: Unlucky..
Review: This review only concerns technical details of this particular DVD edition. Lots of good words were said about the movie itself and I just join my thumbs up with thousands raised before. But this movie has bad luck with DVD, apparently. First, I bought a russian edition of "Les Parapluies" on DVD. I just could not play that disc at all, it had physical damage. I sent it for refund and ordered one from Amazon meanwhile. I was sure there can be no problems with it. But surprisingly, when I put the disc into the player it would display the root menu and get stuck. Later I recognized that the disc has broken structure.. I'm not going to send it back for it takes too long, I give up on this title.. I really wish DVD manufacturers had more respect to the classics.
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Summary: La Comedie Humaine
Review: When Jacques Demy created his souffle of a musical, his plan was to continue a story he had begun with his film LOLA, starring Anouk Aimee, and then continued in BAY OF ANGELS with Jeanne Moreau. Characters from the first two films appear either by reference or in the flesh (Marc Michel, the young diamond merchant) in UMBRELLAS, and the story was to have continued with THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHFORT, having Guy go to Rochfort from Cherbourg to buy equipment for his gas station and, in true Hollywood musical fashion, run into twin sisters, one of whom is the double of Genvieve from UMBRELLAS (again played by Catherine Deneuve). Unfortunately the actor (Nino Castelnuovo) who played Guy had committed to do a t.v. series and was unavailable, so Demy rewrote his concept, ended his dream of being a filmic Balzac, and basically ended his trilogy with THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG. The marriage of music, color, visuals, faces, emotions, and finally war enabled Demy to present his most romantic picture to date with THE UMBRELLAS. Aside from two fairytale musicals (PEAU D'ANE and THE PIED PIPER [starring then-rock star Donovan]) that followed, his later films never achieved the joy, romance nor success of THE UMBRELLAS. The naivete of the teenaged (or just out of) Deneuve and the sweetness and naivete of the story lends itself to this bouquet of love lost, choices made and life lived. The music, of course, is the most recognizable of Michel Legrand's work, two of it's songs having received worldwide recognition. Curl up with your favorite cuddler, turn off your need to be totally realistic and drift away with young love, a palate worthy of the French Impressionists, and music to warm your heart.
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Summary: The Umbrella of Cherbourg
Review: Being a young girl starting to have all these bottled up and confussed feeling about what was love to be about this movie made me cry and I watched it several times. I haven't seen it in over 30 years but still remember the songs and the love that the two characters had for each other. If only real love like that exists, I would like to find it! Still looking for lover in the rain. Wonderful movie, it will stay with you forver!
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Summary: utterly charming! so sweet (in a slightly immoral way)
Review: Beautiful restoration of a classic French musical. This is a better stress-reducer than a glass of wine and Chopin on the stereo. The plot is almost non-existent, but you won't care. The technicolor is gorgeous! I couldn't get over how pretty her clothes were and how feminine everybody was. Very politically incorrect now, of course. Watch this before the PC police find it.
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Summary: DVD brought back the magic!
Review: Thanks to DVD, this masterpiece has been restored properly. The VHS was good enough but pales strikingly with the DVD version. 5 stars for both film and transfer. This is the only film where I've seen women's dresses either match or blend with the background wallpaper and comes out as rather brilliant than ridiculous! Beautiful, beautiful... I've watched this many, many times before and I'm still counting the times with my new DVD and even if it takes forever, I still will... The most romantic movie since David Lean's Summertime. Don't rent it, BUY it!
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