Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) is a musical film made in 1964. It was directed by Jacques Demy, and starred Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo. The music was written by Michel Legrand.

The film is unusual in that all the dialogue is sung, even relatively unimportant lines.

Synopsis

Madame Emery and her daughter Geneviève sell umbrellas at a boutique in Cherbourg. Geneviève is in love with Guy, the auto mechanic. Subsequently, though, Guy must leave to fight in the Algerian War. Months later, Geneviève is pregnant and lovelorn. At her mother's insistence, she marries Roland Cassard, a wealthy jeweller who is in love with Geneviève and who is willing to wed her despite the fact that she is bearing another man's child. The best one-line synopsis is that the film illustrates settling for second best.

Technical Details

• Director: Jacques Demy
• Music: Michel Legrand
• Debut: February 19, 1964
• Format: 35 mm, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, Color
• Genre: Musical Drama
• Length: 90 minutes

Awards

• Prix Louis-Delluc , 1963
• Palme d'or (Golden Palm) at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival
• Critics' prize for Best Film, by the French Syndicate of Film Critics, 1965

Cast

• Catherine Deneuve: Geneviève Emery
• Nino Castelnuovo: Guy
• Anne Vernon: Madame Emery
• Mireille Perrey: Aunt Élise
• Marc Michel: Roland Cassard
• Ellen Farner: Madeleine
• Jean Champion: Aubin
• Pierre Caden: Bernard
• Jean-Pierre Dorat: Jean

Trivia

One of the film's feature songs, "Recit de Cassard"("Cassard's Story") was converted into an English version called "Watch What Happens" and which was sung by Tony Bennett.