The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is the name of an umbrella shop, owned by a beautiful lady and her charming daughter, Genevieve, played by Catherine Deneuve. On the streets outside the shop, a romance blossoms between the pretty Genevieve and the dashing Guy, who works at an automotive shop nearby.

The two steal away from their lives, spending nights at the opera and various cafes around Cherbourg. Genevieve finally reveals to her mother that she is in love and plans to marry Guy. Alarmed, the mother cautions her daughter against making a mistake at such a young age, and encourages her to wait. Genevieve and Guy are faced with no other choice but to postpone their marriage, as he is drafted in the military and will be gone for two years. They promise each other that they will be faithful to their love until he returns, but other circumstances unfold that complicate the situation beyond what either of them have imagined.

This French musical is different than most American ones from the era, in that there is no dialogue spoke, only sung. It’s almost like a modern opera brought to the screen. I particularly enjoyed the brightly laquered sets and pastel candy-coated images of beautiful people drinking tea from lovely cups and saucers. It’s certainly a treat for the eyes.

The structure of the plot exists in three parts: falling in love; the lovers’ separation; and Guy’s return. The first part is full of fluff, just lots of crooning about love, necking, and the bliss of two good looking people who think they’re in love. Part two is full of aching and difficult decision making. It’s more of the “real world,” as much as is possible in a 1960’s operatic musical. And the last part of the film is so unbearingly nostalgic, with a nice blend of sad longing and hope for the future. 

I thought the movie was darling, and even moving in certain respects. Of course, you have to understand, I am an extremely nostalgic soul. Following along with the captions was not difficult, as the dialogue moves slowly with the music. I will admit, beginning this film, I thought it might be super cheesy and filled with only a lot of fluff. But I was pleased to find the film interesting in several aspects, and so, I think you should give it a try too!

The Pollitt family awaits the return of Big Daddy, who was coming home from a diagnostic surgery that would tell if he would live or die. His two sons, Brick (played by Paul Newman) and Gooper both married strong women who are determined that their husbands receive their fair share of the family estate.

Brick, though traditionally the favorite son, has no children with his wife, Maggie, and is throwing his life away into alcoholism. His brother, Gooper, has a growing family and a promising career as an attorney. It would seem that Brother Man is well on his way to inheriting the family estate, and his pregnant wife makes sure to pull out all of the stops to make sure that he does. Maggie, not to be outdone, is always right there, just trying to stay in the fight, though Brick wants nothing to do with the whole affair.

When Big Daddy arrives, he boisterously announces that the doctors have told him he’s in good health and he will outlive them all. Preparations are made for a big celebratory supper, but all the while, Brick just hides away in his bedroom, drinking glass after glass of alcohol, and looking down upon the self-seeking family with contempt.

This movie, like most Tennessee Williams stories, has really great dynamic character development. At first, it’s difficult to decide whose side to choose. Not many of the characters seem likable, but as time goes on, each one either becomes sympathetic of despicable. When the doctor privately privately tells the family that Big Daddy doesn’t have long to live, each character’s true colors come through. As Brick says, “A family crisis brings out the best and worst of every member of the family.”

Brick’s character is a mysterious self-loathing alcoholic with a lot of resentment towards his family, and especially towards his beautiful wife. Maggie is an alienated women who continuously makes frustrated attempts to regain intimacy with her husband, who most of the time, can’t even stand to look at her. The mystery behind their estranged relationship unfolds as the movie progresses, as does the dynamics of the entire dysfunctional family.

I absolutely adore Elizabeth Taylor in her role of Maggie “the cat.” As a viewer, you simply cannot resist loving her, cringing at her, and then cheering her on. As Gooper says towards the end of the movie, “Yep, that girls got life in her, alright.”

Though there aren’t really any romantic scenes throughout the movie, the chemistry between Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor was still so palpable.  They each played amazingly on their own, and Taylor’s performance as Maggie was so perfectly on key that I’ve gotta say this is my favorite performance of hers that I’ve ever seen. You can sense her emotion in your own heart, and feel on edge, just as she is. The proof is in this short clip. What a wonderful performance.

A delightfully fun period piece, this musical comedy isn’t one to revere the nostalgia of 1920’s American culture. The whole film pokes fun at the flapper girl, and cheekily gives popular slang and pastimes of the prohibition era quite a ribbing.

The movie begins with Millie’s hilarious transformation into a modern gal, whose chief fashion angst is figuring out how to get her beads to hang straight. Shortly into the film, Mary Tyler Moore joins Julie Andrews with her adaptation of a Dorothy Brown, a rich young girl with no family, who has come to make it big as an actress on Broadway. Unfortunately for her sweet self, the female boarding establishment she selected is run by an apparent underground sex-slave operation, who abducts pretty girls with no family or home.

Millie, always one to make new friends, takes Dorothy under her wing, and also manages to fall in love with a modern young man, even though her real goal is to marry her boss. Though, it would seem, that Mollie’s young man, and her boss, have fallen in love with Dorothy Brown, who is also the most recent target of the sex-slave operation.

The film is a witty cultural expos? full of fun characters, adventure, romance, and even a few musical numbers. It’s an enjoyable film and a terribly fun way to spend two hours of your time.

screencaps by me; movie poster via Movie Screenshots
(check out the link for some funnier screencaps from this movie!)