The Young Girls Of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -... [updated]

Their quiet lives are disrupted by a traveling fair that arrives in town, introducing two charismatic showmen, Etienne (George Chakiris) and Bill (Grover Dale). Meanwhile, a famous American pianist, Andy Miller (Gene Kelly), visiting his old friend Simon Dame (Michel Piccoli), becomes entranced by Solange’s musical talent. Delphine searches for the sailor Maxence (Jacques Perrin), having been captivated by a portrait he painted of his "dream girl." Their mother, Yvonne (Danielle Darrieux), runs a café and pines for her long-lost love, Simon, unaware that he has recently returned to town. As the characters weave through a series of coincidences and near-misses, the film builds a palpable tension, leading to a fairground finale where fates are finally decided. It is, as one critic puts it, "the cheeriest movie ever made featuring an axe murder." The plot is a delightfully contrived, Shakespearean comedy of errors that demonstrates Demy’s ability to "leap from mundanity into effervescent flights of fancy."

is a graceful dance instructor.

The Young Girls of Rochefort was Françoise Dorléac's final film; she died in a car accident just months after its release, a tragic reality that adds an inevitable layer of poignant tenderness whenever her radiant performance lights up the screen. The Young Girls of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -...