Wonderful character development!

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

A Masterpiece!

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

A traveling carnival arrives in a northern seaside French town for a weekend, adding more charm and fun to the lives of a pair of young and musically-talented adult twin sisters, their mother who runs a restaurant, and various other characters who all seem to be seeking the ideal mate.The great cast includes legends and stars both French and American: Catherine Deneuve, her real-life sister Françoise Dorléac (tragically killed in an accident shortly after the film was made), Danielle Darrieux (who passed away last year at the age of 100), Michel Piccoli, Gene Kelly, and George Chakiris.The storyline can be silly but it is deliberately so. It is part of the light-heartedness that makes viewing this film so joyous. After five viewings, it becomes easier to see the movie's occasional flaws. This would normally justify a reduced rating. But the movie's magical musical moments are so grand, the overall effect is not diminished by the flaws that seem minor by comparison. The most outstanding numbers include the vibrant "Chanson des jumelles", its partial reprise in "De Hambourg a Rochefort", "Les rencontres", and "Chanson d'un jour d'été" (and the lively carnival events that precede it).The atmosphere of the film could easily resemble what heaven might be like for those of us lucky enough to get there in the after-life. With everyone dancing in the streets, beautiful colours on sunny days, magnificent songs by the great Michel Legrand, grand choreography by Norman Maen, great performances overall, all wrapped up by the brilliant director Jacques Demy, this film could be the cure for many a cynical, depressed person who can use a lift. It is equally helpful to anyone who is already happy and just wants to stay that way.Near the end of the film, the fair is over and the townspeople seem sad that the good time is now over. This same sadness can be felt in the audience knowing the film is nearing its end. Luckily, it can be seen again and again.Magnificent.

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.

"Les Demoiselles de Rochefort" may be Jacques Demy's most frivolous film but it's also a masterpiece; a musical that owes almost everything to Minnelli, not to mention Donen and Kelly as well as Demy himself with touches of both "Lola" and "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg" very much to the fore. It also has one of the great scores, (by Michel Legrand), of any musical with lyrics by Demy himself and a cast headed by real-life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Francoise Dorleac, American musical stars George Chakiris, Grover Dale and Gene Kelly himself, as well as Danielle Darrieux, Michel Piccoli and Jacques Perrin. The plot is lighter than a soufflé and Ghislain Cloquet's cinematography, positively ravishing. It isn't as well known as "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg" but it's certainly it's equal. I think it's one of the greatest musicals ever made.

The Young Girls of Rocheford (1967)It's kind of amazing this kind of film was even ever made. It's both wonderful and horrible. The horrible aspects kept me from really watching every minute, but the wonderful aspects made me try. This is a French musical that is almost all singing. The plot moves along, barely, and lacks the clarity of say a Fred Astaire musical (or any other American affair), and it doesn't have dance very often (or very well done). But boy does it go from one song to another.The stylizing is terrific--every set is modern and clean, inside and out on the streets of 1960s Paris. If you are a fan of Catherine Deneuve, she's a bit inaccessible beneath the heavy wig and makeup and amidst all the singing. In fact, there is nothing sincere going on here, unless you can reach beneath the veneer of the music and its styleThat's the trick here, adapting to this very very different way of telling a story. I don't think it's brilliant, but it has elements that will appeal to people already comfortable with the vocabulary, and the arch falseness of it all. Because, actually, deep down, and very shallowly hidden, is a heart-rending story of two young woman wanting true love. Of course, they are impossibly beautiful and the fact they are even marginally single is hilarious, but such is a movie, and a musical.You might recognize a song or two here, but for the most part the musical aspects are vehicles for replacing normal dialog. What a cool idea...if only done with more verve and imagination. Even the filming, for all its clean perfection, is a bit dry, at least compared to the muscular films of American 1950s Leonard Freed vintage. Furthermore, the two sisters who are the leads are a bit stiff physically (not natural dancers, I guess) and the entire movie, including their parts, is dubbed in later recordings, and it sounds and looks a bit odd. The 1960s were a rough time for feature movies everywhere, and this is struggling to create a paradigm that surpasses television and is rich and sparkling and perfect. The production values are high, for sure. But be prepared. It's a stiff, stilted narrative and the music is not overly memorable. Two large stakes driven into a somewhat stiff corpus. There's even a dance with a supposed basketball dance troupe. Oy.You know what? I think if you've gotten this far, watch the first ten minutes. You'll either barf or fall asleep or be really curious. It's a fair sample of the remaining two hours. Good luck!