The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) Les demoiselles de Rochefort (original title)

Director:

Jacques Demy

Writer:

Jacques Demy (written by)

Release Date:

11 April 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

...they're Singing and Dancing in the Streets

Plot:

Delphine and Solange are two sisters living in Rochefort. Delphine is a dancing teacher and Solange composes and teaches the piano...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Twins | Piano | Painter | Dance

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Catherine Deneuve	...	Delphine Garnier
George Chakiris	...	Etienne
Françoise Dorléac	...	Solange Garnier (as Françoise Dorleac)
Jacques Perrin	...	Maxence
Michel Piccoli	...	Simon Dame
Jacques Riberolles	...	Guillaume Lancien
Grover Dale	...	Bill
Geneviève Thénier	...	Josette (as Geneviève Thenier)
Henri Crémieux	...	Subtil Dutrouz (as Henri Cremieux)
Pamela Hart	...	Judith
Leslie North	...	Esther
Patrick Jeantet	...	Boubou Garnier
Gene Kelly	...	Andy Miller
Danielle Darrieux	...	Yvonne Garnier
René Bazart	...	Pépé
Dorothée Blanck	...	Passerby
Daniel Moquay	...	First Sailor
Daniel Gall	...	Second Sailor
Bernard Fradet	...	Second Agent
Remy Brozek	...	Third Agent
Véronique Duval	...	A Woman
Pierre Caden	...	First Man
Peter Ardran	...	Dancer
Wendy Barry	...	Dancer
Sarah Butler	...	Dancer
Anne Chapman	...	Dancer (as Ann Chapman)
Jane Darling	...	Dancer
Tudor Davies	...	Dancer
Lindsay Dolan	...	Dancer
John McDonald	...	Dancer (as John Mac Donald)
Keith Drummond	...	Dancer
Maureen Evans	...	Dancer
Tara Fernando	...	Dancer (as Taira Fernando)
Sarah Flemington	...	Dancer
Johnny Greenland	...	Dancer (as Johny Greenland)
Leo Guerard	...	Dancer
David Hepburn	...	Dancer
Bob Howe	...	Dancer
Alix Kirsta	...	Dancer
Jerry Manley	...	Dancer
Tony Manning	...	Dancer
Tom Merrifield	...	Dancer
Connel Miles	...	Dancer
Albin Pahernik	...	Dancer
Nicky Temperton	...	Dancer
Barrie Wilkinson	...	Dancer
Maureen Willsher	...	Dancer
Anne Germain	...	Delphine Garnier (singing voice)
Claude Parent	...	Solange Garnier (singing voice)
Christiane Legrand	...	Judith (singing voice)
Claudine Meunier	...	Esther (singing voice)
Alice Herald	...	Josette (singing voice)
José Bartel	...	Bill (singing voice) (as Jose Bartel)
Romuald	...	Etienne (singing voice)
Donald Burke	...	Andy Miller (singing voice)
Olivier Bonnet	...	Boubou (singing voice)
Georges Blaness	...	Simon Dame (singing voice) (as Georges Blanes)
Jacques Revaux	...	Maxence (singing voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jacques Henri Barratier	...	Second Man (uncredited)
Liliane de Kermadec	...	Nun (uncredited)
Alain Franchet	...	First Agent (uncredited)
Florence Malraux	...	Nun (uncredited)
Michèle Manceaux	...	Nun (uncredited)
Annie Maurel	...	Nun (uncredited)
Jean Stout	...	Guillaume Lancien (singing voice) (uncredited)
Jacques Thébault	...	Etienne (voice) (uncredited)
Dominique Tirmont	...	Bill (voice) (uncredited)
Agnès Varda	...	Music-Loving Nun (uncredited)

Directed by
Jacques Demy

Writing credits
Jacques Demy		(written by)

Produced by
Perrine Bauduin	....	producer (1996 restoration)
Mag Bodard	....	delegate producer
Gilbert de Goldschmidt	....	producer (as Gilbert De Goldschmidt)

Original Music by
Michel Legrand

Cinematography by
Ghislain Cloquet

Film Editing by
Jean Hamon

Production Design by
Bernard Evein

Set Decoration by
Louis Seuret

Costume Design by
Marie-Claude Fouquet
Jacqueline Moreau

Makeup Department
Aïda Carange	....	makeup artist
Luc Durand	....	makeup artist
Edina Habib	....	hair stylist
Janine Jarreau	....	makeup artist (as Jeanine Jarreau)
Christiane Sauvage	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Philippe Dussart	....	production manager
René Pascal	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jacques Henri Barratier	....	assistant director (as Jacques Barratier)
Charles Chieusse	....	second unit director
Alain Franchet	....	assistant director
Bernard Gilson	....	assistant director
Claude Miller	....	assistant director (as Claude Miler)
Michel Romanoff	....	assistant director

Art Department
Roger Fresca	....	tapestry
Joseph Gerhard	....	props
Georges Glon	....	assistant set decorator
Josette Jover	....	tapestry
Claude Pignot	....	assistant set decorator
Angelo Rizzi	....	props

Sound Department
Jean Gaudelet	....	boom operator
Jacques Maumont	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Pierre Cornier	....	chief electrician
Hélène Jeanbrau	....	still photographer
Bernard Largemain	....	key grip (as Bernard Largemains)
Jean-Paul Lemaître	....	assistant camera
Emmanuel Machuel	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jean-Marie Armand	....	wardrobe
Laurence Clairval	....	costumer
Christiane Fageol	....	costumer
Odette Le Barbenchon	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Claudio Ventura	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Michel Legrand	....	music publisher
Michel Legrand	....	musical director
Francis Lemarque	....	music publisher

Other crew
Jean Barthet	....	hat maker
Maureen Bright	....	assistant choreographer
Michel Choquet	....	general manager
Jean-Marc Garrouste	....	accountant
Pamela Hart	....	assistant choreographer
Norman Maen	....	choreographer
Annie Maurel	....	script

Thanks
Roland Moreno	....	thanks (1996 restoration)

Production Companies

• Madeleine Films
• Parc Film

Distributors

• Comacico (1967) (France) (theatrical)
• Les Films de ma Vie (2000) (France) (DVD)
• Arte Vidéo (2008) (France) (DVD) (box-set)
• Arte Editions (2010) (France) (DVD) (also Blu-ray)
• Happinet Pictures (2009) (Japan) (theatrical) (subtitled) (restration version)
• Miramax Zoë (1998) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release) (subtitled)
• Nippon Herald Eiga (2000) (Japan) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Towa (1967) (Japan) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Warner Brothers/Seven Arts (1968) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1972) (USA) (TV) (dubbed version)
• Divisa Home Video (2006) (Spain) (DVD)
• KinoVista (2007) (Russia) (TV)
• Miramax Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Carita  hair styling
• Saint-Gobain  set: Décors du Café
• Éclair  laboratory
• S.I.M.O.  auditorium (as SIMO)
• S.I.S.  auditorium
• Studio Davout  auditorium (as Davout)
• Agfa  in collaboration with: 1996 restoration
• Ciné Tamaris  restoration: 1996
• Cinéstéréo  in collaboration with: 1996 restoration (as Ciné-Stéréo)
• Coficiné  assisted by: 1996 restoration
• Conseil Général de Charente-Maritime  supported by: 1996 restoration (as Conceil Général de la Charente-Maritime)
• Kodak  in collaboration with: 1996 restoration
• La ville de Rochefort  supported by: 1996 restoration
• Éclair  in collaboration with: 1996 restoration (as Laboratoires Éclair)

Also Known As:

"Les demoiselles de Rochefort" - France (original title)

Runtime:

120 min | Argentina:128 min | Germany:122 min | Japan:127 min | Sweden:126 min | USA:125 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Australia:G | UK:PG | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | France:U | Sweden:Btl | USA:G | Hong Kong:I

Filming Locations:

Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, France

Company:

Madeleine Films

Trivia:

Before Jacques Demy selected Rochefort as the location for this movie, he also considered Avignon, Hyeres, Toulouse, and La Rochelle among others. Rochefort won out because of the size of its central square, though production designer Bernard Evein found it necessary to repaint 40,000 square meters of the city's facades.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the dance sequences when Andy first arrives, the dancers are in full sun in the street but by the end the shadows have almost covered the entire width of the street.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[in French, using English subtitles]
Bill:Set up here?
Etienne:OK.
Bill:OK.

Movie Connections:

References Jules and Jim (1962)

Soundtrack:

Nous Voyageons De Ville En Ville

A ray of cinematic sun

It's hard to put your finger on exactly what it is about the atmosphere of Jacques Demy's musicals that's so - well - appealing, but "The Young Girls of Rochefort" opens with a pretty big clue: the dancers assemble on what looks like a funny kind of suspension bridge, when suddenly the platform lifts off (as does Michel Legrand's music), to float over the water to the other side. The kids (including "West Side Story"'s George Chakiris) dance away as they drift along in mid-air, giving us the perfect metaphor for what Demy's about to offer: a sunny bagatelle that sets you free from gravity, but which is clearly - well - a little mechanical.

Or perhaps "artificial" is a better word - Demy's always straightforward about what he's doing, and the play of artifice in "Rochefort" is one of its peculiar charms. He doesn't seem to care that the gorgeous Catherine Deneuve and her real-life sister, Francoise Dorleac, aren't really dancers (or that even the "real" dancers are sometimes slightly out of sync) - they simply carry on with their numbers through sheer star power and happy sang-froid. As do their characters - what might count as tragedy in an American musical is always merely accepted in Demy ("The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" being the ultimate example). Only "Rochefort" is about tragedies constantly being averted or diverted - if "Umbrellas" was drenched in a perpetual rain shower, "Rochefort" is pure sun.

Gene Kelly is also on hand to do a few cameos as Francoise's love interest - and his main dance is a charming, quick-time take on what he used to do on a much broader canvas. George Chakiris is, as we remember from "West Side Story", a charming dynamo; Danielle Darrieux is her usual sublime self; and keep an eye out for a young Michel Piccoli as the ardent Monsieur Dam. Michel Legrand's score, again as usual, relies a bit too heavily on its big theme - but it's also about as jazzily sophisticated as musical scores ever got. The choreography doesn't offer any breakthroughs, but there are some charming sequences which are nearly as through-danced as "Umbrellas" was through-sung.

Altogether a charmer - big wigs, even bigger hats, and an exquisite pastel palette - what's not to like?