The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Probably one of the most iconic, unforgettable French films. Fascinated with American musicals, director Jacques Demy was one of the few European filmmakers to have figured out the beauty of the genre. The essence of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a larger-than-life plot, raw emotions, and actors who are not afraid to go overboard. Geneviève (the wonderful Catherine Deneuve in one of her finest roles) and Guy are in love, but soon their future is thrown into doubt when the boy gets conscripted into the army. In the idyllic, almost fairytale-like setting of Cherbourg, the couple enjoy their last moments together before the separation that will fundamentally alter their lives forever. Demy’s heart-tugger is elegantly crafted and executed in Technicolor, and his directorial courage to celebrate the banal makes The Umbrellas of Cherbourg one of the most touching films of all time.

Patrycja Mucha

Jacques Demy (1931–1990) was a prominent director of the French New Wave. Today he is best-known for his two musicals of the 1960s, but he directed films in other genres as well, notably dramas such as Lola (1961) and Bay of Angels (1963) as well as fairy-tale films. Together his films form a unique cinematic universe, with characters from one film often making an appearance or being referred to in another one.