Ep. 25: "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg," 1964 (Movie Musicals of the Decades)

Sep 29, 2018

Hello Listeners! We are back with a new Movie Musical episode, and it’s about to get WEIRD. This week we are discovering the magic of a musical comprised fully of recitative.....The Umbrellas of Cherbourg! Join us as we butcher the French language, discuss the plot, and if this movie musical worked as a whole without the use of songs. Also, BONUS CHALLENGE for listeners: say “parapluie” five times fast with correct French pronunciation. Let us know in the comments if you succeeded! 

Music

• Danielle Licari dubbing Genevieve, José Bartel for Guy, Christiane Legrand as Mme. Emery
• Music by Michel Legrand, libretto by Jacques Demy

Released by 20th Century Fox 

Show Notes

• This music set to ice skating by Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, it’s just divine.
• Composer Michel Legrand performing the theme song “I Will Wait for You” in English in the 1970s.
• Legrand, again, conducting the Brussels Philharmonic playing the theme music.
• A brief video essay explaining the French New Wave of the late-50s/early-60s, which undoubtedly had influence on this and many other films of the same time period
• A show clip of “Umbrellas’” stage production in the West End in 2011, with creative staging and ensemble involvement