Overview
A poignant tale of love and longing set against the backdrop of a vibrant French town.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- wistful
- melancholic
- romantic
- romantic evening
- classic cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Jacques Demy's boldly sung-through romantic musical as a visually ravishing and deeply affecting classic.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Geneviève, Guy, Madame Emery, and the other characters communicate entirely through sung dialogue, making ordinary exchanges part of the musical score.
Geneviève and Guy's love is pressured by compulsory military service, separation, family concerns, and Roland's materially secure marriage proposal.
The film uses intensely coordinated colors in costumes, interiors, umbrellas, and production design to heighten the romance and its melancholy.
Geneviève's distress over receiving only one letter from Guy turns correspondence into a concrete index of their changing relationship.
Films like The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and why
La La Land
shared sung-through musical form, romantic melodrama, vivid color design, and bittersweet emotional register
The Young Girls of Rochefort
shared French romantic atmosphere, musical stylization, youthful longing, and separation shaped by circumstance
Moulin Rouge!
shared tragic romance, heightened theatrical presentation, and emotionally direct melodrama
Brief Encounter
shared wartime separation, intimate romantic stakes, and melancholy postwar atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Jacques Demy
- Release Date
- 1964-02-19
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (913)
Cast
- Catherine Deneuve
- Nino Castelnuovo
- Anne Vernon
- Mireille Perrey
- Marc Michel
- Ellen Farner
- Jean Champion
- Jean-Pierre Dorat
- Harald Wolff
- Pierre Caden
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Philo, TCM, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Umbrellas of Cherbourg about?
- A fully sung French romance follows two young lovers whose devotion is tested by military service, family pressure, and the quiet demands of adult security.
- What is The Umbrellas of Cherbourg like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Umbrellas of Cherbourg violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
- What did critics think of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg?
- Critics broadly regard Jacques Demy's boldly sung-through romantic musical as a visually ravishing and deeply affecting classic.
- Which films are like The Umbrellas of Cherbourg?
- Films with a similar feel include La La Land, The Young Girls of Rochefort, Moulin Rouge!, and Brief Encounter.
- How long is The Umbrellas of Cherbourg?
- The Umbrellas of Cherbourg runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Umbrellas of Cherbourg?
- In United States, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Philo, TCM, HBO Max.
