The Young Girls of Rochefort (1968)

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

I am very much a movie buff but I had never heard of this movie until I heard that it was one of the movies that had inspired la La Land.I just watched it and it kept me in my sit for the whole 2 hours and 4minutes of it. I really enjoyed the Micheal Legrand music and it's plot and stories.It is a feel good movie that lifts your spirit. I believe most of the singing in the movie was dubbed but you don't notice it that much. It was also interesting to see movie legend Gene Kelly in a French movie.I recommend this movie to all those who like musical cinema. I don't speak French and saw it with English subtitles but surprisingly it did not make my experience any less enjoyable. Anybody that enjoys this movie should also watch the former movie of director Jacques Demy "The Umbrellas of Cherbourge".

Deciding to watch 100 French films over 100 days I began to talk to a fellow IMDber about what French cinema they enjoy.With having good memories from seeing auteur French New Wave film (FNW) maker Jacques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg after a rec from IMDb's Indian Cinema board,I was happy to spot this IMDber rec another Demy Musical,which led to me getting ready to meet the girls of Rochefort.The plot:Teaching ballet and music in the small town of Rochefort,sisters Delphine & Solange Garnier dream of meeting the love of their life as their single mum Yvonne runs a coffee shop,and Boubou goes to school. Arriving to perform in a circus, Étienne and Bill cross paths with the sisters and fall for them,but soon find out that they are not the only ones who have fallen for the girls of Rochefort.View on the film:Reuniting with Demy, Catherine Deneuve gives a sparkling performance as Delphine Garnier,whose glance at the mysterious painting Deneuve entwines with a long to identify the artist.Looking just as beautiful as her real sister, Françoise Dorléac gives a feisty performance as Solange Garnier,whose eyes Dorléac firmly sets on the present,and not the "what if." Delaying filming by 2 years due to other projects, Gene Kelly rewards Demy's patients with a great performance as Andy Miller,with Kelly's charms soaking the title in Golden Age Hollywood glamour.Originally planned as a companion piece to Cherbourg, (until the lead actor ran off!)writer/director Jacques Demy and cinematographer Ghislain Cloquet expand on the map set out by Cherbourg,from immaculate colour coding of everything that the Garnier's wear,to the streets of Rochefort looking like they have been covered in candy.Entering the coffee shop run by Yvonne Garnier, (played by a very good Danielle Darrieux) Demy lavishly gives his Musical numbers a depth of field with dazzling,gliding mirror shots casting the dreamy world of Rochefort out for miles and miles.Drastically re-writing the screenplay to replace the nods to Cherbourg,Demy bends the social issues of the French New Wave with the glitz of a high-kicking Musical. Leaving Yvonne without a partner,Demy touches on single parenthood with a smooth Musical touch which gives the FNW subject a light atmosphere stops the movie from slipping into a heavy-handed manner.Turning down the volume on the more poppy side of things from Cherbourg, Demy and composer Michel Legrand spin the Garnier's into swinging Jazz,which whilst sanding out some of the catching melodic sides does allow for the Garnier's optimism to shine over the stage,as Étienne and Bill meet the young girls of Rochefort.

Filmed in sunshine and primary colors, "The Young Girls of Rochefort" is a fluffy fantasy that takes the language of Hollywood musicals and distills it to its essence. The result is something not to be taken seriously, but still very interesting.In "Young Girls", Gene Kelly borrows from himself, in some instances using nearly identical steps to those he used in "Invitation to the Dance"--his seminal experiment in using dance as a cinematic language. One might suppose that the director, Jacques Demy, was inspired by Kelly's creation, though "Young Girls" is more than dance.Two other--more recent-films come to mind. Francis Ford Coppola's "One From the Heart", released in 1981, feels related and "Young Girls" might have been an inspiration for Coppola, but Coppola's film is more finished, more grounded in reality despite its larger than life presentation.The other is Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge" (2001), which is close enough, stylistically, to "Young Girls" that it seems very likely Luhrmann had seen Demy's film. But don't all the actors in "Moulin Rouge" sing their own parts despite the fact they are not singing stars? Even if Luhrmann owes a debt to Demy, he advanced the genre significantly.Regardless of these references, "The Young Girls of Rochefort" is part of the historical landscape that includes every musical of its era and some much later. Catherine Deneuve and Francoise Dorleac are certainly game to play their roles as dancing sisters. Like the primary colors that surround them, they give performances that shine with a brightness. They embody enthusiasm and a fantastical naivete. I also enjoyed seeing George Chakiris, six years after "West Side Story".One thing I found slightly annoying was the ubiquitous product placement. Michel LeGrand's score, which some viewers might find overbearing (and others might find perfect), deserves attention. The film as a whole is a coherent vision worth seeing.

In the little town Rochefort lives Delphine and Solange Garnier, two musical twins that teach music and dance to kids. One day, Etienne and Bill arrive in town, and need the twins help with a song and dance-number. Also, the famous piano-player Andy Miller (Gene Kelly) comes to town to help an old friend.Jacques Demy is an incredible filmmaker and the master of the musical. Working with Catherine Deneuve (his muse?), he succeeds again and even gets Gene Kelly in on the act. This film not only has solid singing, but plenty of noteworthy choreography. And, as Demy seems quite fond of, more than a splash of color.Jonathan Rosenbaum says the film "is loved in France but tends to be an acquired taste elsewhere." Supporting this view he cites Pauline Kael, who wrote that this film "demonstrates how even a gifted Frenchman who adores American musicals misunderstands their conventions." While this is probably not Demy's best film, trying to force it into the Hollywood box may be a mistake on Kael's part.Definitely worth seeking out, especially now that Criterion has released it on Blu-ray as part of their incredible Demy box set.