The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)

Two sisters leave their small seaside town of Rochefort in search of romance. Hired as carnival singers, one falls for an American musician, while the other must search for her ideal partner.

Director:

Jacques Demy

Writer:

Jacques Demy

Stars:

Catherine Deneuve, George Chakiris, Françoise Dorléac

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	Bouboo Garnier
Gene Kelly	...	Andy Miller
Danielle Darrieux	...	Yvonne Garnier
René Pascal	...	Pépé (as René Bazart)

Storyline

Delphine and Solange are two sisters living in Rochefort. Delphine is a dancing teacher and Solange composes and teaches the piano. Maxence is a poet and a painter. He is doing his military service. Simon owns a music shop, he left Paris once month ago to come back where he fell in love 10 years ago. They are looking for love, looking for each other, without being aware that their ideal partner is very close... A film whose scenario is much less important than its feeling of euphory, according to the director Jacques Demy.

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Plot Keywords:

city name in title | rochefort france | model boat | playing trumpet | cigarette smoking | 

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Taglines:

A dazzling new musical treat from the creators of "Umbrellas of Cherbourg."

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

11 April 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Young Girls of Rochefort

Filming Locations:

Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,162, 16 August 1998, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$91,837, 31 December 1998

Company Credits

Production Co:

Madeleine Films,Parc Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

French new-wave director Agnès Varda (Demy's wife) makes a cameo in the film as a nun who visits a music shop.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Spoofed in Flight of the Conchords: Girlfriends (2007)

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Soundtracks

De Delphine à Lancien
(uncredited)
Written by Michel Legrand
Courtesy of Warner Chappell Music France /BMG Publishing
Performed by Catherine Deneuve (dubbed by Anne Germain) and Jacques Riberolles (dubbed by Jean Stout)

User Reviews

Deneuve + Dorleac x Demy = Delightful!

THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT is Jacques Demy's followup to his popular international success, THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG. It's not the same kind of operatic musical as it's predecessor and is much more a product of it's time (and sadly, that makes it much more inaccessible to modern audiences). What you get here is a romantic farce in the old MGM tradition, with lot's of garish 60's-style color and costumes, definitely in tune to Michel Legrand's astounding jazz score. The campy outdoor dance numbers date, but thankfully give way to dynamically orchestrated instrumental versions of Legrand's music. This is definitely a movie for those who enjoy cinematic musical comedy; it's visual appeal is undeniable and each shot is lovingly designed and framed. Deneuve and Dorleac are amazing beauties and presented in their prime, which is reason enough to enjoy the picture. Michel Legrand's score is far more complex melodically and orchestrally than his more famous one for UMBRELLAS; it's a joy to listen to. About the best compliment I can pay THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT is to say that it brilliantly precedes and shines with more talent and energy than the recently released MOULIN ROUGE (a film that surprisingly has a lot in common with it). Demy doesn't need any CGI, MTV-editing or pop songs to get it's simple, lovely message across! It's very nice indeed to have a restored version on DVD of Jacques Demy's LES DESMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT!