Fix — The Young Girls Of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -...

Jacques Demy’s The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) is the ultimate cinematic dessert—a candy-colored, jazz-infused masterpiece that stands as one of the most joyful expressions of the French New Wave. While its predecessor, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg , was a "sung-through" tragedy of lost love, Rochefort is its exuberant, optimistic twin.

The Score of a Lifetime

The music by Michel Legrand is nothing short of iconic. The main theme, with its distinctive clavichord hook, is one of the most recognizable melodies in French cinema history. The songs drive the narrative forward, expressing a longing for "the ideal man" or the excitement of "the fair." The choreography, led by Norman Maen, is robust and athletic, utilizing the open spaces of the town square and the traveling fair in a way that feels distinctly un-theatrical yet entirely staged. It captures the 1960s optimism where pop art and jazz collided. The Young Girls of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -...

) is a vibrant, candy-colored tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals, famously starring real-life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac. Set in the seaside town of Rochefort, the story follows twins Delphine and Solange Garnier—a dance instructor and a music teacher—who dream of escaping their provincial lives for fame and romance in Paris. Criterion Collection edition Jacques Demy’s The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)

: A 1993 documentary by Agnès Varda (Demy's widow) capturing the town’s anniversary celebrations. Behind the Screen : A 1966 episode showing rare behind-the-scenes footage of the production. Archival Interviews The main theme, with its distinctive clavichord hook,

Their mother, Yvonne (Danielle Darrieux), runs a café-cum-creperie and is still pining for the dashing man who left her years ago. Meanwhile, across town, a traveling American painter named Maxence (Jacques Perrin) has painted the portrait of his ideal woman—not knowing she lives just down the street. And a wily, cynical musical instrument seller named Simon Dame (Michel Piccoli) tries to play matchmaker, all while a murder subplot (yes, a murder subplot) involving a mysterious stranger (Gene Kelly!) lurks in the background.