Unique among directors of the French New Wave, Jacques Demy (1931-1990) extensively explored the film musical. Even his first two (non-musical) films, LOLA and BAY OF ANGELS, recall the genre in concrete ways, in no small part thanks to the remarkable scores of Michel Legrand, a regular collaborator. But it was with THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG that Demy realized his longawaited dream: a musical where the music never stops and all the dialogue is sung. A hit when initially released and again at its 1990s re-release by his widow, director Agnès Varda, the Catherine Deneuve-starring pop opera won both the Cannes Palme d'Orand an Oscar nomination for its memorable Legrand score. Followed by THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT, featuring Gene Kelly in a nod to the American musicals of his youth, Demy's later oeuvre also includes the little seen American MODEL SHOP and DONKEY SKIN, a groovy '70s musical take on the Cinderella story. With much of his work now available in new 35mm prints, it's a great time to revisit the romance and delight of the world of Jacques Demy.

THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT
[Les Demoiselles de Rochefort]

The Demy/Legrand follow-up to THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG adds even more color, dancing and the widescreen format to the musical mix. In town for the fair, George Chakiris (WEST SIDE STORY) dances through Danielle Darrieux's snack bar; daughters (actual sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorleac) dream of Paris; sailor-on-leave Jacques Perrin dreams of his ideal woman; and shop owner Michel Piccoli recalls the woman who got away. Then Gene Kelly drops in!

DIR/SCR Jacques Demy; PROD Gilbert de Goldschmidt. France, 1969, color, scope, 125 min. In French with English subtitles. RATED G

THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG
[Les Parapluies de Cherbourg]

In Jacques Demy's color-splashed musical fantasy, the actual streets of Cherbourg, on which lovers Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castellnuovo meet, are transformed into the most ethereal of creations; while every line of dialogue, from mundane car mechanics' jargon to the transcendence of the young amants' impassioned vows, is sung to Michel Legrand's now-classic score. Winner Best Film and Actress, Cannes Film Festival.

DIR/SCR Jacques Demy; PROD Mag Bodard. France, 1964, color, 87 min. In French with English subtitles. UNRATED

LOLA

Demy's first feature, in many ways, his songless rehearsal for THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG. A man in a Stetson drives his American convertible along the waterfront, and a sailor wanders into a cabaret. Then the meetings, linkups and unknowing near misses begin in this fablelike tale of cabaret singer Anouk Aimée's long wait for her lover's return to Jacques Demy's beloved Nantes.

DIR/SCR Jacques Demy; PROD Carlo Ponti and Georges de Beauregard. France, 1961, b&w, scope, 90 min. In French with English subtitles. UNRATED

BAY OF ANGELS
[La Baie des anges]

Uptight Claude Mann's vacation gets diverted to Nice's Bay of Angels and a casino seat next to a blonde Jeanne Moreau. As Mann and Moreau conjoin at the hip to rollercoaster from scrounging for change to living it up (hotel suites, cars, haute couture) and back again, it seems life itself is just a game of chance for Moreau.

DIR/SCR Jacques Demy; PROD Paul- Edmond Decharme (uncredited). France, 1963, b&w, scope, 79 min. In French with English subtitles. UNRATED

MODEL SHOP

Disaffected architect Gary Lockwood pursues mysterious Anouk Aimée in Demy's only American film. Notable both as an outsider's look at America (ˆ la Antonioni's ZABRISKIE POINT), and a priceless time capsule of the fashion, sights and sounds of late 1960s Los Angeles (including the psych-rock sounds of Spirit!). Rumor has it Harrison Ford was Demy's first choice for the male lead but was rejected by the studio as lacking commercial appeal.

DIR/SCR/PROD Jacques Demy. France/US, 1969, color, 85 min. RATED M

DONKEY SKIN
[Peau d'âne]

Demy's most over-the-top stylization, adapted from a 17th century fable, features picture-book costumes, color-coded servants, rampant anachronisms and a third Legrand score, now in a new stereo track from Legrand's original recordings. In a fairy tale kingdom, monarch Jean Marais (Cocteau's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST) agrees to queen Catherine Deneuve's last request: his remarriage will only be to someone more beautiful. But only their daughter (also Deneuve) fits the bill! However, fairy godmother Delphine Seyrig (LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD) hides Deneuve disguised as filthy scullery maid Donkey Skin. And only a prince can see beneath the hide.

DIR/SCR Jacques Demy; PROD Mag Bodard. France, 1970, color, 100 min. In French with English titles. UNRATED