I had read and heard about this being a touchstone of French cinema, and musicals in general, so when I happened to find it in the charity shop, I couldn't leave it there.
I enjoyed it quite alot. After 10 minutes I had the same thoughts as most people I imagine, is every word going to be sung? It's an interesting system of singing every word of the script, which is often everyday dialogue. Normally a musical will have musical numbers to represent parts of the story, and they are written by song writers as songs ie. poetic and lyrical. With Umbrellas, the actors have their lines and just deliver each and every one through singing instead of speaking. I hadn't quite seen a musical like this before.
I noticed after 25 mins the film is rated 15, but up to that point had seemed only like a U.. so I was waiting for something to kick off but nothing did really. The themes became slightly more adult perhaps but I am still puzzled as to why the rating was any more than PG really.
There were some really nice unusual moments like Catherine Deneuve looking directly at camera twice and the shot of her and her boyfriend in eachother's arms stood still but moving towards the camera on a Parisian street. 39 minutes in there is a lovely shot of trains about to take the soldiers away to fight, with 2 sailors in the foreground. There are more beautiful views in film but thos one looked like a painting, I had to pause it for a minute. It reminded me of a wonderful shot in Barry Lyndon, maybe my favourite frame of any film - It shows Barry in the gentlemen's club, slumped in his chair, almost done with life. The composition itself tells it's own story, it is Kubrick at his visually stunning best. Umbrellas had a few lovely shots, which I think is what will stick with me the most.
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