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It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

I think Jacques Demy can be an acquired taste for some people. His films often border on, if not fall directly into, camp territory with their bright mise en scene and grand melodrama. Most of them are quite melancholy or even downers, focusing on romantic frustration, lost dreams, bitter regrets, and family dramas. In this regard, The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) is a little bit of an anomaly as it is quite sunny and cheerful.In many ways an homage to the Hollywood musical, Young Girls is a delightful romp about interconnected lovers and dreamers. Michel Legrand's music is fun and upbeat. All the actors are in fine form, even if some of them are a little rough with their footwork. Nevertheless, I would say this is one of Demy's best movies.

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.

Right after "Les parapluies de Cherbourg" delivered yet another fine musical movie. He must had not been ready with the genre yet and this time took a bit of a different approach.It's a more traditional musical, when compared to "Les parapluies de Cherbourg". It's cheerful, colorful, less heavy on the drama and features lots of choreographed dancing sequences and characters that burst into singing, right in the middle of a conversation. It's really a musical done in the trend of '40's and '50's Hollywood musicals.Jacques Demy probably had a big love or admiration for the genre, since it's not like the genre was still very popular or considered to be modern or very profitable at the time. It must had therefore also been a bit of a gamble to create a 1967 musical done in '40's style. But let me just say that it was a gamble that really payed off well!It are not just the characters, or its story, musical numbers or visual style that make this movie. It are all of these things combined! It forms a beautiful and joyful whole that really works on a musical level. The many characters of the movie are all great and likable ones. Its story is also quite original but above all things also cheerful, which can also be said about its bright and colorful visual style.Thing about its buildup and character are that you don't know who will end up with who. Usually this is of course something that is very clear, pretty much from the start on already. This is the beauty of the movie and is also what makes it a quite original one within its genre. It always keeps the story and love angles in it interesting and helps to make the characters and the movie as a whole also quite unpredictable, which is not something you could say about a lot of musicals.Its many songs do tend to make the movie drag a little at points. Maybe it's a bit overlong but every time you think that the movie is starting to take a wrong turn, it actually eventually will be something that works out beautifully and real surprising in the end. And talking about end, things really come together beautifully in the last few minutes of this movie. Every storyline gets wrapped up, which is a real accomplishment, considering the amount of characters this movie follows.It's not just a movie about the Garnier twins but also about their family, close friends and everyone they meet in their quest to find true love. That's what the movie is truly about really; love. Every character in this movie is basically looking for that. The ideas of true love, as presented in this movie, might come across as old fashioned now days but this of course still adds to the overall cheerful nature and charm of the movie. It's a kind of no-worries type of movie, that can make you feel really happy and warm when watching it, also thanks to its cheerful colors and songs.To make it all the more apparent that this is a sort of ode and love-letter to the musical genre of mostly the '40's and '50's, the movie features one of the biggest musical stars of those days; Gene Kelly. Even while he was already well in his 50's, it doesn't stop him to still look as young as ever and he even does some of his characteristic dancing in this one. Yes, he's even speaking French, though in some scene's he still got obviously dubbed, most notably when he's singing. Next to him the movie is also featuring Catherine Deneuve, who also was the main star in Jacques Demy's 'other' well known musical "Les parapluies de Cherbourg".He didn't do all of the directing alone on this one though. This time his wife Agnès Varda joined in, who already was an established director on her own at the time.Even though I'm not the biggest fan of the musical genre, I can still appreciate and enjoy a good genre movie when I see one. And this is really one of those!9/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Perhaps because this musical film features Gene Kelly amongst its cast it shines bright and leaves the viewer with a smile on their face - lots of colour, some sub-Robbins choreography featuring George Chakiris and Grover Dale, Demy-Legrand songs and recitative, and bouncy performances by Catherine Deneuve and Francoise Dorleac as the twin sisters, looking for love and opportunity.Include their mother, a cafe owner looking for a love she left behind; a lonely music shop owner; a sailor who loves to paint; and a jealous gallery owner - not to mention an unsolved murder - and you have the recipe for a fun and frothy musical, with hummable tunes and hints of romance.It is Kelly who shines, however (although with someone else's singing and speaking voice). Even in his mid-50s, he's still impish, sexy and hugely talented, and a bonus to any film.Demy's other film 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' is often lauded more than 'Les Demoiselles de Rochefort', but I disagree - this is the hit of the two for me.