Demoiselles de Rochefort (les)

English title: Young Girls of Rochefort (The)

Genre: musical

With: Catherine Deneuve (Delphine Garnier), Françoise Dorléac (her sister Solange), Danielle Darrieux (Yvonne, their mother), George Chakiris (Étienne), Grover Dale (Bill), Jacques Perrin (Maxence), Michel Piccoli (Simon Dame), Jacques Riberolles (Guillaume Lancien), Gene Kelly (Andy Miller)

Director: Jacques Demy

Screenplay, dialogues and songs: Jacques Demy

Music: Michel Legrand

Release: 1967

Studio: Madeleine Films, Parc Film

Rating: G

MBiS score: 8.5/10





‟We all seek our feminine ideal. He's not the only one.”





QuickView



Story-line: in Rochefort, a French town known mostly for its naval base, several people have reached a new chapter in their lives. The Garnier sisters are determined to leave for Paris to pursue artistic careers, their mother Yvonne is tired of slaving at a local café, Maxence is eager to quit the Navy and all of them – not to mention several other characters – are searching for a love that has escaped them so far. Meanwhile, a travelling fun fair is setting up in town and two of its carnies, Bill and Étienne, are very keen on meeting the locals…  

Pluses: splendid performances from a sterling cast of actors and dancers (even the lip-synching is utterly convincing), Jacques Demy’s admirable helming, whimsical screenplay and great songwriting, Norman Maen’s lively modern dance numbers and Gene Kelly’s marvellous moves, those lovely, colour-coded costumes and sets (pastel fire hydrants!), Ghislain Cloquet’s aesthetic camera work and the film’s joyous, sunny production values.

Minuses: ‟The Young Ladies of Rochefort” would have been a better title since Delphine and Solange are certainly not schoolgirls. Michel Legrand’s jazzy score, although energetic, is sometimes loud and uninspired in comparison to his other, superior compositions for film.

Comments: this strong picture brings back memories of WEST SIDE STORY – that masterpiece in which George Chakiris also starred – and LES PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG, Jacques Demy’s greatest cinematic achievement. In Rochefort, every piece of news, even sad or disquieting, is fodder for song and dance. Also for movie buffs, a rare opportunity to see Catherine Deneuve play alongside her sister Françoise, who passed away the same year this movie was released.  





MBiS



© 2019 – All rights reserved

Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here

Genre: modern western

With: Robert Blake (Willie Boy), Katharine Ross (Lola), Robert Redford (Deputy Sheriff Christopher ‟Coop” Cooper), Susan Clark (Dr. Elizabeth Arnold), Barry Sullivan (Ray Calvert), John Vernon (George Hacker), Charles Aidman (Judge Benby), Charles McGraw (Sheriff Frank Wilson)

Director: Abraham Polonsky

Screenplay: Abraham Polonsky (based on a book by Harry Lawton)

Release: 1969

Studio: Universal Pictures

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.2/10





‟I didn't think they'd want me that bad. Maybe they're like me. Maybe it's you they want.”





QuickView



Story-line: the California desert, 1909. On his return to Banning after a work stint in another town, a young Paiute Indian gets involved in an altercation for which he must answer to white authorities.  

Pluses: strong performances by Robert Blake (the independent and taciturn Willie Boy), Katharine Ross, Susan Clark and Robert Redford (as a Deputy Sheriff you can like and dislike in equal amounts), a realistic screenplay that lays bare racist attitudes and ingrained stereotypes while developing an interesting subplot about President Taft, dialogues that are both terse and evocative, appropriate direction and production values, attractive cinematography and Dave Grusin’s fresh musical score.  

Minuses: none, except that the dialogues, in keeping with the story-line, are often demeaning.  

Comments: Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here, an atypical but appealing Western, has a bit of everything for movie buffs: a history lesson, cultural clashes, racial abuse, an extended chase and stormy characters who lack civility even in the throes of love. It commands respect for its efficiency (not one frame is wasted) and its well-structured story of defiance that leads to a stunning denouement. Another fine production from a golden era in American cinema. 





MBiS



© 2019 – All rights reserved