This film rises above the novelty of all the dialogue being sung. Not operatic, just sung. This is the sad story of two people who are driven apart by circumstances. The result of one night is a child. Forces beyond their control get in the way and they must take other directions. This has some of the most beautiful scenes in it. It is the true love story without a lot of contrivances and the haunting factor of the beautiful interaction of the two leads later in life. Catherine Deneuve is startlingly beautiful and she dominates the screen whenever she is on it. Gorgeous. Lovely landscapes in the French countryside. A feast for the senses.

A young girl separated from her lover by war faces a life altering decision.This is the film that Jacques Demy will always be known for (his other films say "from the director of" this one on the cover). While not necessarily the best (that could be debated with "Donkey Skin"), this really exhibits Demy's sense of color and broad range of music that he had not really been able to express before and would go on to be known for.Catherine Deneuve as Geneviève Emery is the film's highlight, although Danielle Licari provided the signing (and with an all-singing musical, that makes Licari every bit as big a star as Deneuve). This film certainly helped launch Licari's career, as she did not release her first album until the following year with "La Geographie en Chansons".

when I was in high school, taking french, the teacher would occasionally push a tape into a slot and show a "movie." the idea was for us kids to hear the language. well, this was one of the movies. at the time, my feelings concerning "umbrellas" were... truthfully, I didn't know what to think. as a seventeen year old I don't think I would have recommended it. channel surfing last night I came across it again on TCM. what a difference 9000 days makes. this is a very unique film. it's not a musical, even with the sung dialog, jazzy score and saturated colors. it's stylish camera work/art direction doesn't contradict the neorealism aspect either. It enhances it.even with the "star crossed lovers" aspect, the film isn't sentimental or corny. and the socio-economic angle is also treated tastefully.This is an ART film in the true sense of the term. and Anne Vernon. Je t'aime.

I have always associated my favorite musicals with Broadway, apart from this one, which is up there with my top three favorites. Filed as a love story, it also makes my top three. And Catherine Deneuve? She's definitely in my top three most beautiful actresses of all time. Then there's Michel Legrand, my second favorite composer (after Chopin, and if you must know, the third ones would be the Lennon/McCartney collaboration). How does one get so willingly hooked to a movie? Just sample the first five minutes of it, you don't even wait for the first lines of song to realize you're in for a gem of a film. Before you hear any of it, the sets are bound to get you. For the colors, those vibrant, palpable colors are a veritable visual feast. And have I mentioned the divine Catherine Deneuve? If there's anything most likely to distract your attention from the sets, it would be her presence. And last, but not least, for long after you may have forgotten the plot, you will never forget this: that melodious, hummable music, a song most of us associate with having heard from childhood, that beautifully threads the scenes of the story together--and you have the perfect musical. The most poignant love story (reminiscent of Splendor in the Grass, another coming-of-age film with a most genetically- blessed lead actors), with an ending that breaks the heart, but one which I completely approve of!