THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT (1967)

I was curious what Jacques Demy did as a follow up after ripping out my heart and stomping on it with THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG.  Well, I never would have guessed this.

THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT is the story of two happy young girls (Catherine Deneuve and her real-life sister Francoise Dorleac) in the town of Rochefort.  They teach instruments and dancing to young kids and in their spare time they happily dance and sing all over the joint.  Nobody finds this strange because everybody happily sings and dances almost nonstop in Rochefort!  It's like an insane asylum.  Most of the action takes place around the main square.  You got the two girls, their mom, a music shop owner, a pretty waitress, some motorcycle salesmen, sailors, a painter, Gene Kelly...Gene Kelly?!!!  That's right.  Around the 45 minute mark Gene Kelly, Monsieur Twinkle Toes himself, comes strolling onscreen and my eyes popped out.  What's he doing here?  Singing and dancing apparently.  The singing sounded to be dubbed, but his French dialogue was impressive.

Anyway, the story is pretty basic: people longing to fall in love, blah, blah,blah, people fall in love, The End.  None of it seems to be taken seriously.  The dancing and the feel of the film seem to be more important.  That said, I wasn't feeling it.  Some of the songs were nice, but the majority of them left me flat.  The dancing was alright, but nothing jawdropping.  Overall, it was a tolerable watch, but I was really hoping for something better.

One interesting thing I did notice was in inclusion of Michel Piccoli who would also appear the same year with Catherine in BELLE DE JOUR, but in a much darker role.

BELLE DE JOUR (1967)

I've never sat down and written out a Top 10 Best Movies list, but if I ever was to I'm pretty sure BELLE DE JOUR would be on that list.

Séverine (Catherine Deneuve) is the bored housewife of a young doctor.  She is unable to be intimate with her husband, whom she loves.  At the same time, she idles her days away dreaming about various sexual fantasies.  Most of them dealing with domination and sadomasochism.  Early on in the film there is a brief shot of an older man feeling up and kissing a terrified little girl.  Could this be Séverine as a child?   Either way, BELLE DE JOUR is a fascinating look at a woman exploring her sexuality, both mentally and physically.

After hearing from a lecherous friend of a friend about a small whorehouse that specializes in more upscale and private adult entertainment, Séverine cannot stop thinking about it and eventually goes to investigate for herself.  She's nervous, but the wise madam senses that Séverine is the type that needs a forceful hand, so she simply leaves her in a room with a regular customer.  Afterwards, Séverine is like a reborn woman.  She is much more cheerful around her husband and the more she explores her sexual desires at the brothel...the happier she is.  Things change, though, when a dangerous new customer falls in love with Séverine.

BELLE DE JOUR is Bunuel's first film in colour and it's a masterpiece.  The story, the camerawork, the surrealist elements, the acting, the fashions...every time I watch this film I'm enraptured and can't take my eyes off the screen.  Every shot is a masterpiece.  It also doesn't hurt that Deneuve was at her absolute most radiant during the late 1960's.

I cannot recommend this film enough.  Required viewing for anybody interested in world cinema.