The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Why we chose it

Nobody speaks in Jacques Demy’s Palme d’Or winner. Every word is sung to Michel Legrand’s music, right down to the small talk in a car repair garage, and with a twenty-year-old Catherine Deneuve at its heart, it’s the kind of film that shows you why people love cinema.

Synopsis

Geneviève, who lives above her mother’s umbrella shop in Cherbourg, is in love with Guy, a twenty-year-old mechanic, and the two are secretly planning to marry over her mother’s objections. Then Guy is called up and sent to Algeria, and Geneviève discovers she’s pregnant. Her mother’s advice is to say yes to a wealthy merchant who has asked for her hand.

Information

Director
Jacques Demy
Cast
Also known as
Les Parapluies de Cherbourg
Production year
1964
Decade
1960s
Duration
1h 31m
Festivals & Awards
Language
French, English
Country
France, West Germany
Subtitles
Greek, Polish
Age rating
Κ-12

Oscars

Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film

1965

Oscars

Nominated for Best Original Song

1966

Cannes Film Festival

Palme d'Or

1964

What others say

4.1
151 reviews

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