Romance, colors, unexpected encounters and love are here brought with great passion by the brilliant Jacques Demy with the help of the magical soundtrack made by Michel Legrand. The story is simple but it's told with great magic: Solange (Françoise Dorléac) and her twin sister Delphine (Catherine Deneuve) are two young music teachers who live in Rochefort, they are both looking for the love of their life because they know he exists, but they don't know that the love of their life are also in Rochefort, just waiting to meet each other. Colors and even little objects seems to explode emotions, every scene cares a magic, euphoric and melancholic feeling that it's almost impossible to not be contaminated with these feelings. Even a simple scene of a woman walking in a street becomes memorable and magic, every song is powerful, unforgettable and beautiful, walking the line between happiness and melancholy so incredibly well like maybe no other film ever did. Overall, "Les Demoiselles de Rochefort" is more of a experience than anything else, it explodes emotion, love and happiness and defiles you with all these great feelings. And to end, it gives you one of the most beautiful, sublime and memorable end sequences in all cinema history that deserves to be alongside equally wonderful films such as "City Lights" and "Sunrise - A Song of Two Humans". It's magical, beautiful and one of the most moving love stories ever told, it's pure cinema and a unforgettable film that captures maybe better than any other film what human feelings are really about.

In many ways one is obliged to rank this film highly by virtue of its daring. As if The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg were not extraordinary enough - a through-sung musical, with a bittersweet story of provincial France rendered in in-camera Technicolour - then Les Demoiselles surely tops it. Not through-sung this time (there is spoken dialogue, though one stretch is spoken entirely in verse) there is more dance in its stead. The colour of the film is once again highly co-ordinated but heightened by the film shot almost entirely in bright sunlight. Finally, the perhaps predictable small-town love stories are fleshed out with a bizarre murder red herring and a well-controlled tension.On top of all this, the film has Gene Kelly. His smattering of appearances culminates in a formal set piece that simply assumes yo know what'll happen next and gets on with it, as if God himself had a cameo. Kelly is probably the only person in the world who might have upstaged Catherine Deneuve in a film at this time, and so it comes to pass. Even George Chakiris, the Puerto Rican prince so familiar from West Side Story, brings panache but can't eclipse the world's greatest movie-musical star.Michel Legrand's score is more varied though marginally less pungent than before. His music and the film works best when its fulfilling its camp or extrovert conviction - thought this doesn't extend to a diegetic set piece, where the girls do a Gentlemen Prefer Blondes-type routine.It's charming and baffling in one meringue-like trifle. The way to approach it is in exactly the manner that the film opens, floating into town on the Rochefort-Martrou Transporter Bridge. 7/10

Perhaps because this musical film features Gene Kelly amongst its cast it shines bright and leaves the viewer with a smile on their face - lots of colour, some sub-Robbins choreography featuring George Chakiris and Grover Dale, Demy-Legrand songs and recitative, and bouncy performances by Catherine Deneuve and Francoise Dorleac as the twin sisters, looking for love and opportunity.Include their mother, a cafe owner looking for a love she left behind; a lonely music shop owner; a sailor who loves to paint; and a jealous gallery owner - not to mention an unsolved murder - and you have the recipe for a fun and frothy musical, with hummable tunes and hints of romance.It is Kelly who shines, however (although with someone else's singing and speaking voice). Even in his mid-50s, he's still impish, sexy and hugely talented, and a bonus to any film.Demy's other film 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' is often lauded more than 'Les Demoiselles de Rochefort', but I disagree - this is the hit of the two for me.

I have such pleasant memories of Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (which I found quite moving)that perhaps I was expecting too much of Les Demoiselles de Rochefort.The story is pretty flimsy. A couple of young ladies (twins) seeking the men of their dreams. Of course they finally find them and every one is happy.There is a lot of dancing ( but I thought the choreography was poor and the ensembles ragged) and I'm afraid the songs of which there were many were not at all catching or toe-tapping. Gene Kelly's dancing was not up to scratch either.Jacques Demy's bright carnival atmosphere gave the film a lift and as always Michel Legrand's music gave strength to the production. The exaggerated wigs worried me a bit as they detracted from the beauty of the twins. Perhaps I am out of my depth when it comes to women's coiffure or may be I just don't remember the oddities of the 60's.Jacques Demy redeemed himself with his brilliant fairy tale "Donkey Skin" which I thoroughly recommend.If you think I have been harsh in condemning the unimaginative choreography of Les Demoiselles watch "Across the Universe" and you will appreciate what I mean.