590 - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, France, 1964. Dir. Jacques Demy.
Why is absence so heavy to bear?
Genevieve Emery is asking the question, as the weight of time lies heavily upon her heart.
And the whole film, the entire direction of their lives, will turn upon that question.
Genevieve is waiting for her beloved, Guy Foucher, the man who worked at the local garage, whose baby she is carrying, who is away on military duty, serving in Algeria, doing his time.
They write. He describes his experience. He tells her loves her, that he misses her, and that he will be home as soon as he can. Even if his stay is extended.
Genevieve's mother Madame Emery is putting pressure on her. Mme. Emery never liked Guy. He worked at the local garage. The Emerys own a store, an umbrella stored, named The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. The shop around the corner.
And as far as Madame is concerned, Genevieve is too young and too impulsive to make important life decisions. What can she possibly know about love?
Mme. remembers when she was young and a man wooed her, before she later met Genevieve's father and married him. This is somehow presented as evidence that a girl should marry her second love.
Genevieve says her mother should have married the first man.
Despite the fact that she herself would have never been born. Implying that her mother probably truly loved the first one. And settled. A tough thing to suggest about one's own dead father. But they are in the heat of the moment. A battle of wills. Over Genevieve's future.
The Emerys are in financial trouble. Their debtor has called their debt. If they do not pay by a certain date, they will be foreclosed upon. And lose everything.
Mme. Emery humiliates herself to go to the jewelry store to pawn her prized necklace. The jeweler is a business man. He buys low. He sells high. He pays below market. He refrains from allowing emotion to cloud his judgment.
So when she reveals her dire straits and her hope that he will be her savior, he lowballs even more. Offers her consignment. No cash up front. Take a cut of what the public offers.
What will Mme. do?
Roland Cassard steps in. He is a travelling jewelry merchant selling wholesale. Here to show the jeweler the rubies, sapphires, and emeralds of Ali Baba's cave, the jewels of Sleeping Beauty. Himself a shrewd businessman.
So when the Emerys come in to seek Mr. Dubourg's financial assistance, Roland Cassard is standing there with him. And for some reason no one requests privacy. So the visiting vendor listens in on a personal customer's private affairs.
A deus ex machina in the First Act.
For Mme. Emery anyway. Cassard will be her savior. He will buy the necklace. Rescue them from ruin. And perhaps provide a suitable suitor for her daughter in the exchange.
Everything that Genevieve does not want.
They have him over for dinner.
And sure enough, he invites her to the country. And begins to woo her.
But Genevieve does not give in. She has her love. Guy Foucher. The beautiful boy at the Garage du Port Aubin. The boy who loves the theater. And rides a bicycle. And who dreams with her of a future together. Either selling umbrellas or owning their own garage. Either naming their baby Francois or Francoise. Living in everlasting bliss.
If only Guy did not have his military service. For two years. In the Algerian War.
If only her mother were not pressuring her so hard.
If only Roland Cassard were not bearing down upon her with money and his own promises of future happiness.
Cassard leaves their lives for a time. Just as Guy has. But Guy has been taken away by the military. A choice he has not made. And Cassard, not yet in the throes of love for Genevieve, has a life to live and jewelry to sell.
He goes to America. Genevieve forgets about him. Her mother does not.
But when Guy goes off to war, Genevieve worries.
Fear.
Vain imagination.
An idle mind. The devil's workshop.
Genevieve worries:
Guy left two months ago, and he has only written me once. If I knew where he was, I could write him. They have sent him, I am sure, to a dangerous place where he is risking his life.
Mother compounds it:
He has forgotten you. He does not think about you. If he did, he would write. One can write, however far away one is.
Mother has her motives.
Genevieve faints.
I suddenly saw Guy laughing with another woman.
Cassard returns and Madame invites him over for dinner.
The first test comes when the ladies reveal to Cassard that she is pregnant. With another man's baby. A man whom she truly loves. And Cassard does not flinch. He eagerly says they will raise it together.
Cassard's absence is nowhere near the same absence as Guy's absence.
And his presence fills the void that Genevieve's heart can hardly endure.
Why is absence so heavy to bear?
She gives in.
A man on hand is worth two at the front.
And their lives take their permanent turn.
Jacques Demy has divided his film into three acts.
Part One - The Departure
Part Two - The Absence
Part Three - The Return
Part Three - The Return
And each act gauges the status of the heart, of Genevieve's and Guy's heart. The first act focuses on them as a couple. The second act focuses on her without him. (He is away in Algeria.) The third act focuses on him without her. (She is away in Paris.)
If you are paying attention, then you will remember that we watched this film together last year. As a one-off. A stand-alone.
But now we are working through a Jacques Demy box set. So why not watch it again?
I chose not to go back and read what I wrote last time. I think I said something about La La Land, but other than that, I do not really remember what I wrote. So we are starting fresh again.
To add a new element, I watched it this time around with the sound turned off, so that I would see it in a different way. A musical that is all musical, seen without any music. Or, heard without any music. Or, not heard at all.
My apologies to Michel Legrand, the grand composer of the film.
But let us see how watching it silently might change things for us.
We shall be reading the subtitles.
When watching this film this way, immediately one notices the colors. Not just the umbrellas, but the water on the wharf, the sky, the brick, the clothing, the wallpaper, the paint, the furniture.
The colors.
The pink walls. Her pink suit. His blue suit. The red garage. The black windows and drawers. The red gas pumps with orange sides. His brown jacket. Her khaki coat. The yellow raincoats. The red drapes. Vertically striped wallpaper in many rooms--dark and light green, dark and light blue, blue and green, all blue. His yellow lampshade. The exterior wall painted like a 1980s music video in hot purple. Mme. in the pink and white bathroom. Genevieve in the blue cardigan with the lighter blue patterned shirt over a blue skirt. The brown cabinet. The white porcelain. Mom's red hair. Genevieve's blonde hair with the black bow. Her room with blue wallpaper with pink flowers and green leaves. The orange oranges and yellow bananas. Aunt Elise in the boxed bed with the crimson curtains. Madeleine in pink. Aunt Elise in a purple sweater. His blue shirt, brown tie, and brown jacket. The green stairwell with white chipped paint. The silver briefcase. The hunter green train. The pale red and white train. The psychedelic walls with pink and purple and floral vines. The coral sweater with the great skirt. Mom in a red jacket and skirt. Her in a sleeveless salmon dress. Mom in a black dress. Roland in a white shirt, blue tie, and blue suit. The pink and green stripes above the chair rail. The gray panels below the chair rail. The crystal chandelier. The brown antique tables, clocks, and lamps. The brown grandfather clock. The golden crown. The gray maternity dress. The yellow sweater. The blue dress with floral prints and the cream coat. Black and white at the wedding. The white dress in the black car. The empty red table. The white walls. Earth tones at the funeral. The brown suit with a white shirt and black tie. His Mr. Rogers tan sweater over a white casual shirt.
Etc.
If we were to watch the film again, we could be more precise with the specific shades of color. Today I was able to fit in hunter and coral and crimson and salmon. And maybe tan and khaki for brown. But otherwise, I have given you primary and secondary and tertiary colors for a world that goes far beyond.
The background.
The dockworkers.
The pedestrians.
The customers.
The bartender washing the glasses and putting them away. T
The sailor sitting at a table. The other sailors standing oddly facing the wall.
Perspective at the train station.
All the lines--the tracks, the train, the edges of the buildings and sidewalks--leading off to a single vanishing point.
The faces.
Catherine Deneuve stepping into frame as fresh as life itself. She seems so young and alive and innocent, one can hardly believe it is her ninth film. She was about twenty when this film was made.
I noticed the make-up more. And I thought about the difference a face looks from the master shot to the close-up. And how ideally one would want to adjust the make-up down as the camera pushes in.
Here in the master she is heavily made up with bright pink rouge that makes her face to shine. But in the close-ups one notices it. And imagines what if we were to back it off a little bit. Particularly in the umbrella store on a particular day.
She is beautiful either way. It is a technical thought.
Genegvieve enters looking like Sandy in Grease. And there are even scenes where she wears her hair up with a cardigan over a blouse and skirt.
The film begins with the two of them already in love. And it is sweet.
Another thing one notices in watching the film silently is the language.
Of course the words are not written as song lyrics but as actual speech, so that the music has to fit the dialogue.
Love is on parade.
My love.
Oh, my love.
Genevieve, my little Genevieve.
Guy, I love you. You smell of gasoline.
It's just another perfume.
Guy, I love you. Oh, Guy, I love you.
And--
Don't go. I will die.
I will hide you. And I will have you.
But my love, do not leave me.
You know it is not possible. I will not leave you.
And--
I will love you until the end of my life.
Guy, I love you. Do not leave me. My love, don't leave me.
Come, my love. O, my love!
Then there is this:
In The Princess Bride (1987), the phrase "As you wish" means "I love you."
Here the phrase "If you wish" means "I love you." At least as it is presented in English.
Guy only ever says it to Genevieve. This Genevieve.
See you at 8:00 in front of the theater.
I've thought of you all day!
Would you like to go dancing later?
If you wish.
When the other Genevieve, the prostitute, speaks to him, she says "If you want."
"Come with me, if you want."
And--
"You can call me Genevieve, if you want."
Then when Guy speaks to his own wife, Madeleine, during Christmas of 1963, he says, "If you want."
Your hands are cold.
I will go out now.
If you want.
Yes, I am referring to the English subtitles and not the original French script. And since I was not listening, I did not hear what they actually said. So I do not know if they used tu veux or vous voulez, or tu voudras or vous voudrez, or tu souhaites or vous souhaitez, or tu souhaiteras or vous souhaiterez. But I am speaking of my experience watching this movie on this day with these English subtitles.
There is a moment when they are moving forward as if gliding above the street. One remembers Belle gliding down the hallway in La Belle et le Bete (1946). As we pull back we see him with his bicycle. Were they coasting by standing on the side of it?
Here is another thought: The mother is the one in love. What if she marries Cassard.
When watching the film the first time (last time was my second time; today is my third), one imagines this film is about two people who are in love but who are unable to marry due to circumstances beyond their control--such as her mother, and his having to go to war, and the other man stepping in.
But watching it today, it feels more as if Demy was showing her as having made a decision. Choosing to give in to an immediate certainty over a preferred unknown. He puts the onus on her.
And we feel it this time in the final scene. Genevieve tells Guy that she took a detour on her way back to Paris to swing by Cherbourg. She says she never thought she would meet him here. It is pure chance. But she went out of her way to come here. And she pulled up to the garage on the highway. One believes she came hoping to see him, to see how he is doing.
But he does not share the same desire to revisit an old thing. He has his wife now, and his son. And this wife stayed with him. She never left. She was there all the time, even when he could not see her, even when she blended into the striped wallpaper. And he has moved on.
So people remember the movie as a sad story, because we see it through the eyes of Genevieve.
But what if we were to see the movie through the eyes of Madeleine? She has found the love of her life.
Or what if we were to see the movie through the eyes of Roland? He has found the love of his life. He lost Lola but found Genevieve.
Through everything Guy was faithful to Genevieve, until she went and married another man.
One imagines him asking her the question Billy Joel asks, "What will it take till you believe in me / The way that I believe in you?"
But she did not. She flinched.
So yes, it is sad. These two people do not end up together. But maybe what they each have with other people is also OK. And loving. And stable. And good.
She gets back into her snow covered car and drives away. With her daughter Francoise. Who reminds her of Guy.Another thing one notices in watching the film silently is the language.
Of course the words are not written as song lyrics but as actual speech, so that the music has to fit the dialogue.
Love is on parade.
My love.
Oh, my love.
Genevieve, my little Genevieve.
Guy, I love you. You smell of gasoline.
It's just another perfume.
Guy, I love you. Oh, Guy, I love you.
And--
Don't go. I will die.
I will hide you. And I will have you.
But my love, do not leave me.
You know it is not possible. I will not leave you.
And--
I will love you until the end of my life.
Guy, I love you. Do not leave me. My love, don't leave me.
Come, my love. O, my love!
Then there is this:
In The Princess Bride (1987), the phrase "As you wish" means "I love you."
Here the phrase "If you wish" means "I love you." At least as it is presented in English.
Guy only ever says it to Genevieve. This Genevieve.
See you at 8:00 in front of the theater.
I've thought of you all day!
Would you like to go dancing later?
If you wish.
When the other Genevieve, the prostitute, speaks to him, she says "If you want."
"Come with me, if you want."
And--
"You can call me Genevieve, if you want."
Then when Guy speaks to his own wife, Madeleine, during Christmas of 1963, he says, "If you want."
Your hands are cold.
I will go out now.
If you want.
Yes, I am referring to the English subtitles and not the original French script. And since I was not listening, I did not hear what they actually said. So I do not know if they used tu veux or vous voulez, or tu voudras or vous voudrez, or tu souhaites or vous souhaitez, or tu souhaiteras or vous souhaiterez. But I am speaking of my experience watching this movie on this day with these English subtitles.
There is a moment when they are moving forward as if gliding above the street. One remembers Belle gliding down the hallway in La Belle et le Bete (1946). As we pull back we see him with his bicycle. Were they coasting by standing on the side of it?
Here is another thought: The mother is the one in love. What if she marries Cassard.
When watching the film the first time (last time was my second time; today is my third), one imagines this film is about two people who are in love but who are unable to marry due to circumstances beyond their control--such as her mother, and his having to go to war, and the other man stepping in.
But watching it today, it feels more as if Demy was showing her as having made a decision. Choosing to give in to an immediate certainty over a preferred unknown. He puts the onus on her.
And we feel it this time in the final scene. Genevieve tells Guy that she took a detour on her way back to Paris to swing by Cherbourg. She says she never thought she would meet him here. It is pure chance. But she went out of her way to come here. And she pulled up to the garage on the highway. One believes she came hoping to see him, to see how he is doing.
But he does not share the same desire to revisit an old thing. He has his wife now, and his son. And this wife stayed with him. She never left. She was there all the time, even when he could not see her, even when she blended into the striped wallpaper. And he has moved on.
So people remember the movie as a sad story, because we see it through the eyes of Genevieve.
But what if we were to see the movie through the eyes of Madeleine? She has found the love of her life.
Or what if we were to see the movie through the eyes of Roland? He has found the love of his life. He lost Lola but found Genevieve.
Through everything Guy was faithful to Genevieve, until she went and married another man.
One imagines him asking her the question Billy Joel asks, "What will it take till you believe in me / The way that I believe in you?"
But she did not. She flinched.
So yes, it is sad. These two people do not end up together. But maybe what they each have with other people is also OK. And loving. And stable. And good.
He kisses his wife and plays with his boy Francois.
This time around you see it differently.
* * * *
I'm not alone. I have my books.
Happiness makes me sad.
Oh, my love. You haven't told your mother?
You think you're in love, but love is different. You don't just fall in love with some face you see on the street.
I'm flabbergasted.
Wonderful! You lied to me.
You're just a little girl. You know nothing.
The young lady has become a beautiful young woman.
Roland Cassard, diamond merchant.
I suddenly saw Guy laughing with another woman.
I'm pregnant, mother.
We have to welcome him and put on a good front.
Go upstairs and lie down.
I feel just fine.
Don't argue. Obey me.
Virgin with Child I saw in Antwerp.
My cheeks are burning.
Genevieve is still a child in my eyes.
She's only spoken of you in friendly terms.
I wouldn't want to pressure her in any way.
Her name was Lola. Long ago. I was disappointed and tried to forget her. I left France traveled the ends of the earth. I had no more taste for life. Then by chance our paths crossed. As soon as I saw Genevieve, I knew that I had been waiting for her. Since I met her, life has a new meaning. All the time she is in front of my eyes. I live only for her.
Roland Cassard asked for your hand.
You didn't tell him I was pregnant?
I didn't dare.
I'd be a little more pleased if the child had a father and you had a husband
It's all I have left of him.
You mustn't smoke. Be responsible.
A man comes along who's rich. He's not a womanizer or smooth talker on the prowl, but a man who has lived and suffered.
I know mother, but don't give me a sales talk. You praise him as you praise your umbrellas.
I was wooed once by a young man who was not your father.
You'd have done better to marry him.
You are right, but understand that I want you to be happy and not to ruin your life as I ruined mine.
Don't worry, Mother. I have no intention whatsoever of wasting my life.
Do you think Cassard will want to marry me when he sees that I have been knocked up?
Watch your language!
If he refuses me as I am, it means he doesn't love me.
We will raise the child together. He will be our child.
The last few months her letters weren't the same. She did not answer my questions. She wrote without conviction. But to marry another man!
Nothing's changed here.
I have.
Does your leg hurt?
I limp a bit now. It's like having a barometer in my leg.
And Madeleine?
She's coming. She's been very good to me.
She's not married yet?
You know how sensible she is.
Are you happy?
Very.
And I owe it all to you.
If you wanted to share my life, if I weren't too much of burden . . . Did I say the wrong thing?
Not at all. It makes me so happy. And at the same time, it scares me.
You're scared of me?
No. Well, a little. Have you given up thinking about Genevieve? Are you sure you really love me? I am not scared, but I wonder if you are acting out of despair.
I don't want to think of Genevieve anymore. . . . I want to be happy with you. . . . I do not have much ambition, but if I could make my dream come true of being happy with a woman in a life we've chosen together. . . .
Francoise, stop that. The horn is not a toy
It's cold.
Come in the office.
It's better in here.
This is my first time back in Cherbourg since I got married
On my way back to Paris I decided to take a detour.
Super or regular?
It doesn't matter. . . . It's a pretty tree. Did you decorate it?
No, my wife did.
Mother died last autumn.
She's so much like you. Do you want to see her?
I think you can go.
Are you doing well?
Yes, very well.
It's all I have left of him.
You mustn't smoke. Be responsible.
A man comes along who's rich. He's not a womanizer or smooth talker on the prowl, but a man who has lived and suffered.
I know mother, but don't give me a sales talk. You praise him as you praise your umbrellas.
I was wooed once by a young man who was not your father.
You'd have done better to marry him.
You are right, but understand that I want you to be happy and not to ruin your life as I ruined mine.
Don't worry, Mother. I have no intention whatsoever of wasting my life.
Do you think Cassard will want to marry me when he sees that I have been knocked up?
Watch your language!
If he refuses me as I am, it means he doesn't love me.
We will raise the child together. He will be our child.
The last few months her letters weren't the same. She did not answer my questions. She wrote without conviction. But to marry another man!
Nothing's changed here.
I have.
Does your leg hurt?
I limp a bit now. It's like having a barometer in my leg.
And Madeleine?
She's coming. She's been very good to me.
She's not married yet?
You know how sensible she is.
Are you happy?
Very.
And I owe it all to you.
If you wanted to share my life, if I weren't too much of burden . . . Did I say the wrong thing?
Not at all. It makes me so happy. And at the same time, it scares me.
You're scared of me?
No. Well, a little. Have you given up thinking about Genevieve? Are you sure you really love me? I am not scared, but I wonder if you are acting out of despair.
I don't want to think of Genevieve anymore. . . . I want to be happy with you. . . . I do not have much ambition, but if I could make my dream come true of being happy with a woman in a life we've chosen together. . . .
Francoise, stop that. The horn is not a toy
It's cold.
Come in the office.
It's better in here.
This is my first time back in Cherbourg since I got married
On my way back to Paris I decided to take a detour.
Super or regular?
It doesn't matter. . . . It's a pretty tree. Did you decorate it?
No, my wife did.
Mother died last autumn.
She's so much like you. Do you want to see her?
I think you can go.
Are you doing well?
Yes, very well.
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