Director: Jacques Demy
Starring: Françoise Dorléac, Catherine Deneuve, Gene Kelly, Michel Piccoli, and George Chakiris
Label: The Criterion Collection
A radiant, expertly crafted musical, The Young Girls of Rochefort is both escapist delight and emotionally astute cinema. Demy’s film remains a high-water mark for the form: a sunny, bittersweet celebration of the small wonders that push people toward love.
Sixty years on, The Young Girls of Rochefort has infiltrated pop culture in subtle ways. Damien Chazelle has cited it as a primary influence for La La Land (specifically the opening freeway sequence). Wes Anderson stole his color palette from Demy. Even the Barbie movie’s “plastic, fantastic” aesthetic owes a debt to the painted backdrops of Rochefort’s harbor. The Young Girls of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -...
💡 Key Takeaway: The film is a "documentary of a dream," using the rigid structures of music and color to capture the fleeting, chaotic nature of falling in love.
. A colorful homage to Hollywood’s Golden Age, the film stars real-life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac as twins seeking love and adventure in their seaside town. Amazon.com Availability and Features The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) Director: Jacques
Demy conceived the film as a tribute to the classic MGM musicals he loved as a child (Singin' in the Rain, On the Town). To bridge the gap between Hollywood and France, he even cast the legendary Gene Kelly.
Tragically, The Young Girls of Rochefort was the last film Dorléac completed. In June 1967, just months after the film’s release, she died in a fiery car accident at the age of 25. Watching the Criterion transfer—with its crystal-clear definition and restored color timing—you see the tragedy in reverse. The film, which should be a pure comedy, becomes a ghost story. When Solange sings "Chanson des Jumelles" (Song of the Twins), promising that nothing will separate them, the irony is devastating. Criterion’s supplements include a lengthy interview with Deneuve speaking about her sister, transforming the viewing experience from spectacle into memorial. Damien Chazelle has cited it as a primary
The Young Girls of Rochefort is now streaming on The Criterion Channel and available on Blu-ray (4K restoration). For those who believe the musical is a frivolous genre, Demy leaves his parting shot: “La vie, c’est la vie. Mais la la la vie…” — Life is life. But la la la life… is another story.
The Criterion Difference: Let’s be honest—this film has lived on murky VHS and sun-faded prints for decades. Criterion’s 4K restoration is a revelation. Michel Legrand’s score (one of the greatest film scores of the 20th century) pops like champagne. The pastel pinks, oranges, and mint-greens of Rochefort’s town square are so vivid you’ll want to lick the screen. Demy built an entire fake town square for this film, and Criterion makes you feel every brushstroke.