The film’s soul lies in Michel Legrand’s score, which bridges the gap between European jazz and Broadway structure.
Solange, a classical composer, falls in love with an American musician (Gene Kelly) she passes in the street, not realizing who he is. The Young Girls of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -...
So, pour a pastis, turn up the Michel Legrand soundtrack, and prepare to be blinded by the light of Rochefort. You will leave with the "Chanson des Jumelles" stuck in your head for a week. And you won’t mind at all. The film’s soul lies in Michel Legrand’s score,
The Criterion Collection has done more than preserve a film; they have preserved a specific frequency of happiness. To watch this restored version is to understand why Jacques Demy is a saint to directors from Damien Chazelle ( La La Land owes this film its entire color palette) to Wes Anderson. You will leave with the "Chanson des Jumelles"
Demy smuggles serious themes beneath the pastel surface. The film touches upon a gruesome local murder trial, the loneliness of single motherhood, and the anxiety of artistic stagnation. By wrapping these anxieties in bright colors and joyful choreography, Demy argues that art, dance, and love are the ultimate acts of resistance against a mundane or cruel world.
Beneath the glittering surface, Demy explores fate, repetition, and the small mechanics of romantic choice. The film privileges serendipity: love arrives through overheard songs, missed trains, and mirrored dreams. Demy never cynically undercuts the fairy-tale logic; instead, he relishes it, allowing emotion to feel inevitable without becoming saccharine. There’s a gentle melancholia—especially in moments where lovers nearly meet—which keeps the film grounded.
