Rating: 
Summary: A great new addition to any DVD collection.
Review: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a fantastic film with a deceptively simple story, outrageous colors, and beautiful music (especially the tune "I Will Wait For You" played during the opening and ending). Fine performances from the cast as well, and all the dialogue is sung. As far as DVD transfers are concerned this looks better and as flawless as you can expect and DVD collectors shouldn't pass up the new Koch Lorber edition of this wonderful movie.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful DVD version of a unique film
Review: There really isn't another film quite like THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG. For instance, every line of dialogue in the movie is sung, yet apart from the heartbreakingly beautiful "I Will Wait for You," there are no songs. So, is it a musical? In form it seems more like an operetta. Musically, the dialogue is loosely organized, though certain musical themes are repeated often, and it lightly sung, none of the performers coming across as highly trained professional singers. Overall, the music, despite the presence of only one song, is entrancing.As fine as the music is, I actually found the film to be more riveting on a purely visual level. For instance, inn scene after scene, I found myself focusing on the art design rather than the music. Demy frames most of his shots against backgrounds of more or less solid and striking colors--green walls, blue-stripped wallpaper, unusually painted building. Demy also employs a host of subtle camera angles and techniques. The film is unquestionably as much for the eyes as for the ears. Most members of the cast were unknown to me, except, of course, for the surreally beautiful Catherine Deneuve, who was nineteen during most of the production of the film. She exudes star quality throughout. But none of the performers fails at all in their roles, though none of the others was the budding star that she was. One thing that struck me about all of the characters was that while the tale told is essentially a tragic one--or at least a bittersweet one--there are really no bad guys. Marc Michel, for instance, who plays Deneuve's wealthy suitor Roland Cassard, is a thoroughly likable person, even admirable. She clearly doesn't love him, but in no conceivable sense is he a bad person. Nino Castelnuovo's character Guy Foucher, for whom Deneuve's Geneviève Emery has asserted she "wait forever" turns out to be an inconstant correspondent, but apart from that he does nothing actively unkind to Geneviève. Geneviève's mother might push her towards Roland and away from Guy, but she is clearly motivated by a love of her daughter. The movie could have been subtitled: "A Tragedy with No Villains." The film is about love, but it is sadly not a love story. In a way, it deconstructs the kind of romantic myths that dominates the musical genre. This is the anti-Disney version of the possibility of eternal love.
Rating:
Summary: Is this the best musical ever?
Review: Maybe, or maybe it isn't even technically a musical at all - the film trades the traditional concept of a musical number for an operatic style in which all dialogue is sung. Whether it is the greatest musical or not, "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" is undeniably an absolutely overwhelming cinematic experience. In addition to being one of the greatest love stories ever to grace the medium, Jacques Demy's film about love and loss is a masterful exercise in style. A montage of explosive pastels and haunting music, it represents a high point in world cinema, and incidentally, in my DVD collection. Catherine Deneuve's performance is sublime. My only minor complaint - and this DVD is so good that I hesitate to mention it - is that the yellow subtitles do not always contrast well with the background and this makes them occasionally difficult to read. This is slightly frustrating, but not enough to justify docking any points from my overall assessment. The bottom line is that if you enjoy musicals, love stories, foreign films, art films, or all of the above, this is an essential addition to your DVD collection.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely French classic
Review: While it's a given that this Jacques Demy film is a classic of both French cinema and musical cinema, the first DVD issue by Fox Lorber was less than perfect. However, this new DVD issue from a newly restored master is truly breathtaking. The Demy doc bonus is also of interest, but get this version for the wonderful colors and restored sound.
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Summary: A DVD zone YOUR LIBRARY
Review: If one excepts the Indian production, Jacques Demy's masterpiece THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG is one of the rare musicals made outside Hollywood. And, rather curiously, the film ages a lot better than 95 % of the industrial american production of the 40's and the 50's. How's that ? Maybe simply because the film has also been written by its director who was able to put in THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG a piece of himself. Even if the Fox Lorber DVD is not perfect, as often with this company, the colors of the movie sets will explode on your screen and amaze you in the same manner they have enchanted the 1964 audience. Catherine Deneuve's tears, Michel Legrand's music and a perfect cinematography are sufficient reasons to buy this DVD, to show it your friends and your children and, then, to place it on a special shelf of your library.
Rating:
Summary: Audacious
Review: Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a ravishing, colour-saturated feast for the eyes. It's a unique experience. There was certainly no other films like this to come out of the French New Wave, and it has stood the test of time as a glorious technicolor experiment. The songs are pleasant and memorable, and there is not a word of dialogue that isn't sung. It's a fairly everyday story of young love, played out against the rainy backdrop of Cherbourg. National Service seperates the two young lovers, and things progress more or less as they would in real life - save for the intervention of a rich diamond merchant. On the surface the film could appear fairly shallow. But it hides a great deal of cleverness and pain behind its rich pallate of colours and it's syrupy strings. Ultimately, it may be the most cynical movie of the French New Wave movement. Certainly the "love story" ends in neither joy nor tragedy - but pragmatism. It's not precisely uplifting, but neither is it doom-laden; the feeling you come away with is that you've just witnessed something quite, well, normal - which is odd when you consider all that singing and vividness. It's an audacious cinematic trick and, whether you like musicals, French New Wave cinema, or just quality movies in general, you should certainly add it to your collection. You really won't see anything else quite like it.
Rating:
Summary: Just a Beautiful Movie
Review: "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" is more than just a movie...it is a beautiful and moving experience for the ears, the eyes, and the heart. The movie is one long song-literally, as all of the dialogue-from "Can I have an oil change?" (the hero is an auto mechanic) to "I will love you forever" is sung. The movie is divided into three acts-"Departure," "Absence" and "Return." In the first act, "Departure," we are introduced to the heroine and hero, Genevieve (a breathtaking Catherine Deneuve) and Guy. Genevieve's mother, a practical woman, owns an umbrella shop in Cherbourg. On the sly, Genevieve slips out and allows herself to be wooed by Guy, the handsome young auto mechanic with dreams of owning his own garage someday. The lover dream, sing, and most of all love each other in this act, which ends with Guy departing for a two-year stint in the Army and Genevieve promising to love him forever. I won't ruin the movie but suffice to say, in Act II (Absence), Genevieve deals with a pregnancy, a rich and ardent suitor and a very practical mother. Act III (Return) witnesses the impact of her decisions on a number of people. There is more, much more, to this movie than just song and love. It is expertly shot. The sets are amazing and rich with candy-colored rooms. The colors just pop out at you. The clothes-ah the effortless chic of these French women-are well tailored and could be worn today. Finally, the acting is so deeply felt even though every single line is sung. I cannot recommend this movie enough to lovers not just of French film and movie musicals but of serious cinema in general. It is well worth your time. And you will be humming some of the more popular themes for a long time...
Rating:
Summary: wonderful!!!
Review: Catherien Deneuve stars as Genvieve, a 17-year-old shopgirl in her mother's umbrella shop in the French town of Cherbourg. She is in loive with Guy, a 20-year-old mechanic. Her mother scoffs that Genvieve thinks she knows anything about love. Genvieve's father is gone, but it is not said to exactly where. Her mother also has financial issues, and must pawn some jewelery to pay off a debt. Guy, meantime, lives with his godmother Elise and her daughter Madeline. Elise is lonely and ill, but seems happy that Guy has found Genvieve. As they profess their live for each other in Cherbourg, Guy tells Genvieve he must leave for 2 years to fight in the French war in Algeria. Genvieve is thrown for a loop, though Guy insists it is not that long. They spend the night together, Guy goes to war, and Genvieve discovers she is an unwed teenaged mother. The movie takes many twists and turns from there for the young couple and all they know. It is amazing ... every word of dialogue is sung in French (subtitled) The story is sad, but not feel-bad. You feel that everyone has the life they chose for themnselves, and their is the uncomfortable feeling that teenagers who declare that they are in love and it is forever are almost always wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Too Beautiful
Review: There is no other movie out there anything like this. Jacques Demy's masterpiece is beautifully colour coordinated and every bit of dialogue is sung. It sounds a bit contrived but it is one of the most genuinely moving and purest love stories ever to be committed to celluloid. Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo are the young lovers not allowed to be. Michel Legrand's score/songs are gorgeous and a couple of the themes "I Will wait For You" and "Watch what Happens" were transferred to hits for other top class artists but have never sounded better than they do here. This isn't a movie I can put on any old time, it's just too beautiful, too emotional and even upsetting for that. But from the opening shot of the rain and umbrellas with Legrand's "I Will Wait For You" coming in softly below you know you are going to witness something really special. This is a profound movie in every sense. Be warned it will tear your heart out of your chest, throw it down on the table and batter it with a BIG mallet.
Rating:
Summary: A magnificent film classic beautifully restored!
Review: I fell in love with the song "I Will Wait For You" many years ago and have never heard a version that I didn't love, vocal or instrumental. I knew the name of the film from which it originated, but knew nothing about the film. Happening upon the 2 disc French CD reissue of the soundtrack music, I bought it and was captivated by the beauty of the score as well as the "dialogue" (all of the dialogue from the film is sung, rather than spoken). I then began to seek more information about the film and read horror stories about how the film itself had disentegrated to the point that a proper reissue of the film had never been available. Finally, I found this DVD issue and decided to buy it anyway, just to see the film. To my delight and surprise the film has been painstakingly restored to brilliance. The film is every bit as good as the soundtrack and I enjoy it more with each viewing. And this is coming from someone who's never been a particular fan of foreign films. All of the over-used hyperbole that you see so often in movie reviews (magnificent, breathtaking, etc.) really does apply to this very moving, very romantic classic film.
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