Criterion’s release includes an isolated music track, allowing listeners to fully appreciate the orchestration—particularly in the legendary “Dance of the Matelots,” where Legrand’s 5/4 time signature gives the sailors’ choreography an off-kilter, giddy anxiety. Gene Kelly, approached to choreograph the film, instead agreed to act and dance, with Norman Maen handling staging; Kelly’s solo to “You Must Believe in Spring” (cut from the original international release but restored here) is a quiet masterclass in screen vulnerability.
The Young Girls of Rochefort is a film about the "what ifs" of life—lovers who pass on the street, missed glances, and the precise timing required for destiny to take hold. It is a work of unadulterated joy, polished to a high gloss, yet possessing the soul of a true artist. For cinephiles, it remains the ultimate French musical—a movie that doesn't just ask you to watch, but asks you to dance along.
The between sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac
Jacques Demy’s The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) is the ultimate cinematic dessert—a candy-colored, jazz-infused masterpiece that stands as one of the most joyful expressions of the French New Wave. While its predecessor, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg , was a "sung-through" tragedy of lost love, Rochefort is its exuberant, optimistic twin.
The exact of the Criterion Blu-ray versus previous releases.
★★★★ ½ (Essential for all musical lovers and French New Wave completists) Final Note: Do not skip the restoration demonstration. Watching the “before” footage—faded, pinkish, flat—is necessary to appreciate the miracle of the “after.”
A Pastel Masterpiece: Why The Young Girls of Rochefort is Jacques Demy’s Ultimate Triumph
: Includes "The Young Girls of Rochefort: Not the Same Old Song and Dance" by critic Jonathan Rosenbaum. The Criterion Collection Cultural Impact High and Low - The Criterion Collection
Whether you are a lifelong cinephile or a newcomer to French New Wave, Demy’s masterpiece—available on the Criterion Channel and in physical formats—is an essential watch that proves happiness can be just as profound as sorrow. General | FAQ | The Criterion Collection
Criterion’s release includes an isolated music track, allowing listeners to fully appreciate the orchestration—particularly in the legendary “Dance of the Matelots,” where Legrand’s 5/4 time signature gives the sailors’ choreography an off-kilter, giddy anxiety. Gene Kelly, approached to choreograph the film, instead agreed to act and dance, with Norman Maen handling staging; Kelly’s solo to “You Must Believe in Spring” (cut from the original international release but restored here) is a quiet masterclass in screen vulnerability.
The Young Girls of Rochefort is a film about the "what ifs" of life—lovers who pass on the street, missed glances, and the precise timing required for destiny to take hold. It is a work of unadulterated joy, polished to a high gloss, yet possessing the soul of a true artist. For cinephiles, it remains the ultimate French musical—a movie that doesn't just ask you to watch, but asks you to dance along.
The between sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac The Young Girls of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -...
Jacques Demy’s The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) is the ultimate cinematic dessert—a candy-colored, jazz-infused masterpiece that stands as one of the most joyful expressions of the French New Wave. While its predecessor, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg , was a "sung-through" tragedy of lost love, Rochefort is its exuberant, optimistic twin.
The exact of the Criterion Blu-ray versus previous releases. It is a work of unadulterated joy, polished
★★★★ ½ (Essential for all musical lovers and French New Wave completists) Final Note: Do not skip the restoration demonstration. Watching the “before” footage—faded, pinkish, flat—is necessary to appreciate the miracle of the “after.”
A Pastel Masterpiece: Why The Young Girls of Rochefort is Jacques Demy’s Ultimate Triumph While its predecessor, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg ,
: Includes "The Young Girls of Rochefort: Not the Same Old Song and Dance" by critic Jonathan Rosenbaum. The Criterion Collection Cultural Impact High and Low - The Criterion Collection
Whether you are a lifelong cinephile or a newcomer to French New Wave, Demy’s masterpiece—available on the Criterion Channel and in physical formats—is an essential watch that proves happiness can be just as profound as sorrow. General | FAQ | The Criterion Collection
