Jacques Demy’s The Young Girls of Rochefort (Les Demoiselles de Rochefort) is a sunlit, Technicolor hymn to youth, longing, and the buoyant possibilities of love. At once playful and wistful, the film is a masterclass in how musical films can marry visual design, choreography, and melody to create an emotional world that feels both stylized and deeply humane.
Beneath the glittering surface, Demy explores fate, repetition, and the small mechanics of romantic choice. The film privileges serendipity: love arrives through overheard songs, missed trains, and mirrored dreams. Demy never cynically undercuts the fairy-tale logic; instead, he relishes it, allowing emotion to feel inevitable without becoming saccharine. There’s a gentle melancholia—especially in moments where lovers nearly meet—which keeps the film grounded.
The Criterion release allows modern audiences to appreciate the film’s most poignant subtext: the real-life bond between the two leads. Françoise Dorléac was a blazing talent—edgier, more cynical, and more volatile than her younger sister, Deneuve. Off-screen, they were inseparable. On-screen, their chemistry is electric, a genuine shorthand of sisterly exasperation and adoration.
Tragically, The Young Girls of Rochefort was the last film Dorléac completed. In June 1967, just months after the film’s release, she died in a fiery car accident at the age of 25. Watching the Criterion transfer—with its crystal-clear definition and restored color timing—you see the tragedy in reverse. The film, which should be a pure comedy, becomes a ghost story. When Solange sings "Chanson des Jumelles" (Song of the Twins), promising that nothing will separate them, the irony is devastating. Criterion’s supplements include a lengthy interview with Deneuve speaking about her sister, transforming the viewing experience from spectacle into memorial.
Michel Legrand’s score is not background music; it is a character. The main theme, “Rochefort,” is a bright, nervous waltz that modulates key every eight bars, never letting the listener feel safe in a single note. Demy insisted that every line of dialogue be recorded twice: once spoken, once sung. This creates a reality where singing is just an elevated form of conversation.
Criterion’s audio restoration reveals the texture of the orchestra—the slap of the double bass, the breathiness of the flute solos. Listen to “You Must Believe in Spring,” a ballad that Legrand would later re-record for Bill Evans. In the context of the film, it’s a simple love song. In the context of Criterion’s archive, it’s a masterclass in leitmotif.
Catherine Deneuve (Delphine) and Françoise Dorléac (Solange) are luminous and complementary. Deneuve’s restrained melancholy contrasts with Dorléac’s brighter vivacity, giving the film a central emotional axis. Their chemistry—both sisterly and distinct—grounds the film’s more fanciful elements. Supporting turns (Jacques Perrin, George Chakiris, and Michel Piccoli among them) add charm and poignancy, while Gene Kelly’s role as a worldly American choreographer provides a playful bridge to classic Hollywood musicals. The Young Girls of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -...
Criterion’s two-disc edition offers deep dives for cinephiles:
The included booklet features an essay by critic Jonathan Rosenbaum, who argues that Rochefort is Demy’s most deeply American film—not despite its Frenchness, but because it borrows the Hollywood musical’s utopian promise and subverts it with existential absence.
A radiant, expertly crafted musical, The Young Girls of Rochefort is both escapist delight and emotionally astute cinema. Demy’s film remains a high-water mark for the form: a sunny, bittersweet celebration of the small wonders that push people toward love.
If you’d like, I can expand this into a longer essay, a scene-by-scene analysis, or a piece focused on Legrand’s score or Demy’s visual style. Which would you prefer?
The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967): A Pastel Masterpiece in the Criterion Collection
Jacques Demy’s The Young Girls of Rochefort (Les Demoiselles de Rochefort) is a cinematic explosion of color, jazz, and joy. Released in 1967, this French musical serves as a spiritual successor to Demy's 1964 hit The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, but trades that film’s operatic heartbreak for a whirlwind of "missed connections" and pure Hollywood-inspired spectacle. The Criterion Collection Restoration The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) — A
The Criterion Collection has worked tirelessly to restore this film to its former glory. Given Criterion's mission to publish important classic and contemporary films with the highest technical quality, their edition of The Young Girls of Rochefort is widely considered the definitive way to experience the film. The restoration highlights:
Vibrant Color Palette: The sun-drenched pastels of the coastal town of Rochefort are sharper than ever.
High-Fidelity Audio: Michel Legrand’s iconic jazz score is presented in a way that captures every nuance of the orchestration.
Original Supplements: Like many titles in the catalog, this release includes award-winning supplements, such as behind-the-scenes documentaries and interviews with the cast. A Convergence of Legends
The film is notable for its incredible ensemble cast, bringing together French cinema royalty and Hollywood icons:
Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac: The real-life sisters play Delphine and Solange Garnier, twin sisters teaching music and dance in Rochefort. Sadly, this was Dorléac's final film before her tragic death shortly after its release. The included booklet features an essay by critic
Gene Kelly: In a nod to the MGM musicals that inspired him, Demy cast the Singin' in the Rain star as Andy Miller, an American pianist who falls for Solange.
Michel Legrand: His score is the heartbeat of the film, blending traditional French sensibilities with American big-band jazz. Why It Matters Today
In an era of gritty realism, The Young Girls of Rochefort remains a vital reminder of cinema's power to enchant. As a standout entry in the Criterion Collection, it is frequently featured in community events like the Criterion Challenge, where fans celebrate "exemplary films of their kind".
Whether you are a lifelong cinephile or a newcomer to French New Wave, Demy’s masterpiece—available on the Criterion Channel and in physical formats—is an essential watch that proves happiness can be just as profound as sorrow. General | FAQ | The Criterion Collection
No discussion of The Young Girls of Rochefort is complete without confronting the tragedy of Françoise Dorléac. The elder sister of Deneuve, Dorléac had a feral, chaotic energy that balanced Deneuve’s glacial perfection. In the scene where Solange sings “Chanson des Jumelles” (“Song of the Twins”), the two women circle a tiny apartment like planets locked in orbit. Their harmonies are tight, but their eyes tell different stories: Deneuve’s longing for safety, Dorléac’s longing for chaos.
Dorléac burned through the screen. She improvised physical stunts that terrified the crew. She chain-smoked between takes. She was, by all accounts, the heart of the production. When she died in a fiery car crash at age 25, the film became a eulogy. The Criterion edition captures this poignancy without wallowing in it. When Solange boards a train to Paris at the film’s climax, you feel the weight: she made it, but the actress did not.
By [Staff Writer]
In the pantheon of film musicals, few movies radiate such unapologetic, sun-drenched joy as Jacques Demy’s 1967 masterpiece, Les Demoiselles de Rochefort (The Young Girls of Rochefort). Yet, beneath its pastel storefronts and choreographed chaos lies a poignant meditation on chance, loneliness, and the elusive nature of happiness. Now, preserved in a stunning 4K digital restoration by the Criterion Collection, Demy’s most vibrant work shines brighter than ever—inviting both first-time viewers and longtime devotees to waltz once more through the fictitious Place des Armes.