March 17 movie: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. What a beautiful movie. I watched it on Minty's recommendation, and I am so glad I did. All the dialogue is sung, and all the sets are in pastel candy colors, which make the movie seem fantastical. But the plot and dialogue are all terse realism.
All the actors are great, the standout being the radiant Catherine Deneuve. It's easy to see why she became such a huge star. With a lesser cast the conceit of singing all the dialogue might have been gimmicky and annoying. In fact it quickly came to seem perfectly natural. The music is lovely, especially the recurring theme which really added to the movie's emotional impact.
Yay! I'm glad you watched it and I'm glad you liked it. I especially like the interesting use of color in this movie. I've seen it three times and find more to appreciate each time I watch it.