Rochefort Vs Cherbourg...(30/4)

Cherbourg is always a shortlisted destination that I would much like to visit during my stay in France...From my imagination, the port should be a pleasant seafront where the story of les parapluies de Cherbourg took place. This kind of romanticism creates inevitably a poetic mirage for a visitor like me. However, out of my plan, I visited Rochefort instead of Cherbourg last weekend. Being two of the most classic films of Jacques Remy in the sixties, I always consider Cherbourg a more classic one than Rochefort. Les demoiselles de Rochefort is more a work of stylism or symbolism. I found that the director simply wanted to double his success by producing another musical film in his new wave series and this gave birth to the story at Rochefort. The form of expression in the film was too much 'calculated' and 'artificial' for me and this demotivates my appetite to the film. Of course, the beauty of colour and the costume used in the film were simply magnificent...
The visit to the city did not really recall me much about the moment in the film. Rochefort is a neat and quiet city, and walking along the riverside, I felt much relieved from the hectic moment we have in other part of the world. The Corderie Royale is a nice building with a pleasant garden area. Apparently, Demy was tactic choosing the place for his world of film. Anyway, Cherbourg misses me.

Les Parapluies de Cherbourg...(26/6)

Had a re-view of the 1964-film "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg" again yesterday after long time. This is as always one of the greatest films to me. An all-time classic. I think this should be the climax of Jacques Remy's film. Passionate, elegant, nicely-constructed, and tragically romantic, this is our consent to love, perhaps...

Having a count, the film has been made for over 40 years, and this is incredible. The film, when watched again in 2005, can still be so fresh and so fascinated! Remy produced his world of film with rhythm and colours. It's so astonishing in 1998 when we had the remastered version of the film, with the fading colours on the negative of the film being recaptured. Frankly, it would be a sin not to see the colours in every scene of the film. The extreme demonstration of the French New Wave in colours. Catherine Devenue is an angel in the film. Her bleached blond hair is an all-time chic. Her visage of sorrow in the film tells the romance. I share the view of LOVE with Demy, and that love is sour. After love, only the snow shall leave behind.

The musical play concept for the film is an avant-garde but classic attempt. The conversation and dialogue of the film are adequately written. Beautiful and passionate moments.

Something I picked up again from the film is the moody and touching music and sound by Michel Legrand. He should be a music composer/agglomerator to be noted. He gives the film another dimension of life! And what's more: -

- the landscape of the port and the train station of Cherbourg, I shall go and visit it again soon;
- the gas station of Aubin, not sure if it exists now in the city or not;
- the war between France and Algeria...this is a part of history that I did not really realise much when I watched the film in the past;
- the construction of conservation...the prononication like "reflichir" and "difficile"; the name of "Genelève" VS "je vous aime"; "bonsoir, mon garçon"; "bonsoir, monsieur garçon" are nice picks of the poetic script in the film.
- scene design and coulour matching: in one word, "magnifique"!! In almost every scene, you can find the contrasting 3 colours of RED, BLUE and GREEN! When you look at the dressing of the character in every scene, you will easily find the matching wallpapers or installation in the room.

Well, this is a kind of film to be watched every 10 years, perhaps...