Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 12-August-07
Spoiler Rating: High

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

I have never seen a movie quite like Jacques Demy's "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg." He takes a story that has been told a million times, and lived even more, and makes it one-of-a-kind. For starters, every line in the film is sung — yes, just like an opera but with a mix of '50s jazz and classic ballads. (It's in French, so American viewers get subtitles with their tunes.) In addition, all the settings are awash in vibrant color like a woman's bright red suit or a bedroom's aqua-papered walls. The effect may sound overwhelming but it works both visually and emotionally. The style of the picture augments the power of its tale.

"The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" tells a love story in three chapters: Departure, Absence, and Return. Catherine Deneuve stars as Geneviève, a 17-year-old beauty in the titular French town who is rapturously in love with a mechanic named Guy (Nino Castelnuovo). Despite their youth, they plan to marry as soon as possible to start their happily ever after. Geneviève's caring yet practical mother (Anne Vernon) pooh-poohs the idea as foolish, and fate seems to second her opinion when Guy is drafted into the military. His departure is truly tragic (and perfectly staged at a train station), a stark introduction to the cruelty of adult life.

Geneviève promises to wait for her lover with pure heart, but fate steps in again. Her discovery that she is pregnant coincides with her mother's increased financial difficulty and acquaintance with a jeweler (Marc Michel) who takes one look at the girl and falls head over heels. As her waist grows fat and Guy's letters grow thin, Geneviève must decide how best to look after herself and her family. When Guy returns a year later, it becomes his turn to grapple with the ramifications of his absence and decide how to manage his future.

Besides being marvelously romantic, the title of the film makes a good metaphor for the aching melancholy it conveys. People can try to protect themselves from the downpour but they cannot stop the rain. "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" (like "Brokeback Mountain," which sort of made me feel the same way) suggests that "real life" cannot sustain the ideal love that innocents feel. The unforgettable closing scene shows how people grow older and more resigned, willing to accept whatever form of comfort or happiness they can find. It also depicts how those who have been touched by ideal love will likely feel its loss forever.

Copyright © 2007 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.