Directed by Jacques Demy and featuring music composed by Michel Legrand, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg follows the story of Geneviève and Guy, a couple in a relationship, set in Paris from 1957 to 1963. The film is operatic; not a single word is spoken; rather, everything is sung. As someone who adores opera, I find this absolutely wonderful and enchanting. Geneviève and Guy are deeply in love and plan to get married promptly at the beginning of the film, ignorant to the fact that Guy would soon be drafted for the war in the Algerian War (1954-1962) between France and Algeria. This film is divided into three sections, which surround Guy’s departure to serve in the war: the departure, the absence, and the return. Before Guy leaves, Geneviève and Guy express their devotion to each other despite the distance that would soon separate them, the time that would inevitably pass, and the risk of his death by making love, presumably for the first time. There are inevitable strains on relationships when separated in this way, and it certainly exacerbates any other struggles they face when together. 

There is something very special about how the film diverted – it was a happily ever after but in a different sense than the audience was expecting. This reminds me of something I read in Kurt Vonnegut’s complete collection of short stories. Before one of the sub-collections of his short stories, someone whose name I shall clarify when I find my copy of the book described Vonnegart’s technique of taking the reader along a journey and giving them a twist that was not expected, but the readers find themselves alright with how the situation turned out. 

This film explores the various forms of love and whether love can ultimately prevail over all obstacles. The theme of pragmatism versus passion is explored in this film. Whether love can surpass the differences in goals of the individuals in a relationship is debated to this day. This film takes a path different than the one that most other films do, and it does it in a way that leaves the audience content or happy about the ending. I adore this film; it is one of my all-time favorites. It is the type of movie that one could watch over and over and never get sick of because one develops a new understanding of it each time one watches it. I would highly recommend it.