Elements of Style: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Back in the rainy days of June, Mike Sodano and Nancy Sabino asked me to curate a film for The Showroom to be shown in July. I wanted the film to be a reflection of myself and the store, Shelter Home. The aesthetic had to be striking and colorful and a film in July needed to be French. French for Bastille Day and a nod to the 6 years I lived and worked in Paris as a model before moving back to the States. With rain on my mind, “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” seemed perfect.
“The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” is Jacques Demy’s 1964 classic film with music by Michel Legrand and starring the young and exquisitely beautiful Catherine Deneuve. The story of Genevieve, the daughter of a shop owner who falls in love with Guy, a handsome auto mechanic (played by the striking Nino Castelnuovo), with the war in Algeria, France’s Vietnam, thrown in for good measure.
Drawing on fairy tales and the Hollywood musical “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” is filled with stunning detail and visual impact. Instead of the austere Black and White cinematography typical of the French New Wave, Jacques Demy shot this film in over-saturated color. The sets and scenery, the costumes, the music and even the opening choreography are thrilling. Pinks, oranges, yellows, blues and greens transform the drab seaside town of Cherbourg, seen through the eyes of young love. Scarves, umbrellas, neckties, wallpaper, even Catherine Deneuve’s hair all complement then clash according to the mood and dramatic tension of the film.
Thank you Mike and Nancy for giving me this opportunity. I hope you all enjoy the film as much as I do.
Umbrellas of Cherbourg will be shown at The Showroom, 708 Cookman Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ Thursday, July 23 @ 8 pm &
Friday, July 24 @ 7 pm and 9 pm
Shelter Home will be giving out goodie bags to all moviegoers.
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