The Umbrellas of Cherbourg Movie (1964): Where to watch and stream online

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

1964, Movie, 1h 32min

The angelically beautiful Catherine Deneuve was launched to stardom by this dazzling musical heart-tugger from Jacques Demy. She plays an umbrella-shop owner’s delicate daughter, glowing with first love for a handsome garage mechanic, played by Nino Castelnuovo. When the boy is shipped off to fight in Algeria, the two lovers must grow up quickly. Exquisitely designed in a kaleidoscope of colors, and told entirely through lilting songs by the great composer Michel Legrand, THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG is one of the most revered and unorthodox movie musicals of all time.

Country: France,Germany

Director:

Cast:

Reviews

Critic Jeffrey M. Anderson

rated

...it does not follow the usual musical formula of boy-meets-girl and a happy ending. In fact, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg has perhaps the most bittersweet ending of all musicals.

Read full review at Combustible Celluloid

Critic Bill Weber

rated

Jacques Demy and Michel Legrand’s reinvention of the movie musical has tinsel, Technicolor, and a beating, broken heart.

Read full review at Slant Magazine

Critic Peter Bradshaw

rated

Catherine Deneuve brings an unworldly, subtly erotic charm to Jacques Demy’s rereleased pastel rainbow of a musical.

Read full review at The Guardian

Critic Steve Davis

rated

Of course, the presence of the impossibly beautiful Deneuve and Castelnuovo as the film's amants could transcend anything -- what perfect specimens they are!

Read full review at The Austin Chronicle

Critic Kim Newman

rated

...manages to combine, with a peculiarly Gallic shrug, wistful romance with resigned cynicism.

Read full review at Empire

Critic Roger Ebert

rated

...a surprisingly effective film, touching and knowing and, like Deneuve, ageless.

Read full review at Roger Ebert

Frequently asked questions

What is The Umbrellas of Cherbourg about? Toggle content

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) tells the story of Geneviève, an 18-year-old working in her mother's umbrella shop in Cherbourg, France, and Guy, a 20-year-old auto mechanic drafted into the Algerian War. The film follows their doomed romance as they navigate societal pressures during a time of war. Geneviève becomes pregnant and must decide whether to wait for Guy's return or marry a wealthy diamond merchant. The film won the Palme d'Or at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards.

Where can I stream The Umbrellas of Cherbourg? Toggle content

You can stream The Umbrellas of Cherbourg on: Mubi

What movies are similar to The Umbrellas of Cherbourg? Toggle content

Some movies that have similar genres and were produced around the same time as The Umbrellas of Cherbourg include The Apartment, The Graduate, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Cleopatra, Jules and Jim.