| The Young Girls of Rochefort | 
| Director: Demy, Jacques
Actors: Rene Bazart, Dorothee Blank, George Chakiris, Henri Cremieux, Grover Dale
Studio: Miramax
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $12.22
You Save: $7.77 (39%)
Buy New/Used from $10.77
Avg. Customer Rating:   (34 reviews)
Sales Rank: 22679
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: French (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: G (General Audience)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 125 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: DISD18315D
UPC: 717951005007
EAN: 0717951005007
ASIN: B000062XI7
Release Date: January 22, 2002
Theatrical Release Date: April 11, 1968
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Description
A wonderfully entertaining musical fantasy, THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT features big-screen legend Gene Kelly (THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT) and international star Catherine Deneuve (BELLE DE JOUR) in a delightfully lighthearted story about two charming sisters waiting for their perfect love to arrive! In the picturesque seaside village of Rochefort, Delphine (Deneuve) teaches dance while her twin Solange (Francoise Dorleac) composes and gives piano lessons. As the girls dream of success and romance in the far-off big city, they don't realize that true love may be just around the corner! An exuberant musical treat that earned rave reviews from critics everywhere, this beloved classic has been beautifully restored to its original magnificence!
Amazon.com
The French director Jacques Demy scored a worldwide hit in 1964 with The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, a bittersweet candy-colored romance in which all the dialogue was set to music. Equally enchanting is the musical that reunited Demy with the star and composer of Umbrellas, Catherine Deneuve and Michel Legrand. The film is The Young Girls of Rochefort, an effervescent concoction about traveling players and dreamy-headed demoiselles in a seaside town. Deneuve and her real-life sister, Francoise Dorleac (who died in a car accident not long after the movie was made), play twins who fantasize about life in Paris. But before they leave town, they are distracted by the weekend fair and its colorful singers and dancers. They're also destined to meet an American composer--gloriously, it's Gene Kelly, carrying the aura of classic MGM musicals in his lighter-than-air wake. He was 55 at the time, but much younger in movie years. (Another American, George Chakiris, also dances his way through the film.) Legrand's music isn't as powerful as his Cherbourg score, and some of the choreography would fit right into an Austin Powers discotheque sequence. And the costumes--well, the excesses of '60s mod designs have not aged well. Yet the crazy hairstyles and vinyl boots fit right into the film's sense of gleeful fun. There is a sunny, daffy spirit to this movie that becomes positively infectious. It deserves to be better known. (Try to catch a widescreen version, if possible.) --Robert Horton
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| Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...
 My favorite movie. July 24, 2008
If you are so disposed as to be willing to accept it, joy should follow each and every viewing of this excellently bright movie. Do you need an uplifting plot for an uplifting musical? How about several main characters yearning to find their soulmates? Yet there is plenty of plain fun and humor here too. What you also get is an exquisite cast, bright colors, exceptional cinematography, dance that you no longer see, and lots and lots of great music to transfer you out of the doldrums. Yeah, there are quite a few dancers in Go-Go boots. Maybe it's satire; maybe the producers got a good deal. But you know that you are in the 60's. It's French, it's American, and in the end it's just a whole lot of joyful charm. For the first viewing (if you don't already know), I recommend that you turn the subtitles off and subject yourself to the beautiful French language. The actors are obviously having fun, and this is what puts this film over the top. P.S. Is Gene Kelly too old for Francoise Dorleac? One of the main themes here seems to be that with artistic soulmates, the usual rules do not apply. Check out William Henderson's excellent (if a bit difficult) book "The Science of Soulmates". Also check out Francoise's look when she first sees Gene...priceless?...a hint of the eternal? Furthermore, Kelly's performance is nothing short of sublime.
Charming, if a little creaky April 15, 2008
French director, Jacques Demy, created charming worlds on film that could never really exist. Every film of his I've seen seems absolutely set in the surreal. This film is no exception. While it takes place in modern day (for the time - late 1960s) it has no relationship to any reality I've ever known. Everyone sings constantly and things happen that could not possibly happen but if you go with it, it's a lovely ride. At it's heart, it's the delightful story of two stunningly beautiful sisters (Catherine Deneauve and Francoise Dorleac) and their wish for true love to find them. Add in the unexpected American cast members of George Chakiris and Gene Kelly (of all people!), and you've got a musical unlike any other you have seen. The musical score by Michel Legrand is whimsically seductive and memorable.
Wonderful, Light Musical February 14, 2008
Gene Kelly fans will not be disappointed! He's a little older in this piece and sings in French, but it just as delightful to watch as in his younger days!
- The movie is sung from beginning to end (operetta?)
- All characters sing in French, the subtitles are lovely and poetic
- The music is very light and has a catchy theme throughout
- Like American movies of the era, the movie has beautiful colors and cinematography
- This is a love story that I feel is easy to follow and keeps you interested throughout, highly recommended!
the young girls of rochefort November 5, 2007
The Young Girls of Rochefort
A fine film which made me feel like breathing an autumn breeze. A great come-back to the days of innocence. Thank you amazon-com for giving me the chance to watch it again and include it in my collection.
Best regards,
Nikos Papageorgiou
an overlooked masterpiece August 18, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I just had to pitch in on this one. I'm a bit of a film geek, and have watched plenty of them. I'd say this movie is one of my personal favorites - definitely in the top five. No kidding. It serves the vital function of reminding me, when I need to be, that life can be a very good thing. I vastly prefer it to "Umbrellas of Cherbourg," whose relentless, weepy tragedy, not to mention its non-stop music, I find a bit much. This one, I think, while admittedly a production that's bit rougher around the edges than "Umbrellas," was truly Demy's masterpiece. Legrand's score is utterly top-notch - again, on par with "Umbrellas," and, like the movie, more upbeat. And it's brimming with lyrics that are jam-packed with first-rate wit and joy. I actually bought the soundtrack. The folks who don't like this movie likely will either find its admittedly low-budget production odd for their tastes, or balk at the overall fruity Frenchiness of it. Inventing other reasons not to like it - it's trying and failing to be American, etc. - I think is also counterproductive. The key is to let yourself go and, indulge in this over-the-top confection. The first number, "We Are a Pair of Twins," is worth the price of admission. Silly? Maybe, but meanwhile surpassingly brilliant and lovely. Catherine Deneuve is, of course, unbelievable. And there's Michel Piccoli! I know this movie has a cult following in France, and is generally well regarded there, but I believe it deserves an international reputation. Maybe the movie is too much itself - too hopelessly and shamelessly French in taking on the American musical genre - to pass the typical dismal critical hurdles that are required. Well, more power to it. Hopefully, history will catch up with it. The sooner, the better. I do wish they'd do one more restoration and improve the digital transfer, but that's just because I'm such a fanatic about this movie. It's a fine DVD, and quite a bargain, although I'm tempted to pony up for the 2-disc special anniversary edition that's available in France...
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