The Umbrellas of Cherbourg – The Review Show 298

French cinema month concludes with the 1964 musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. It’s the 1950s in a quaint French town, and young Genvieve is despondent over her boyfriend being sent off to war, and coming to terms with marrying a more sensible man whom she should love but doesn’t. We talk about how the movie is sung through in its entirety and defies common musical structure, the vibrant color palette, why Genvieve’s mom doesn’t just marry the suitor herself if she adores him so much, and how we wish the movie was more about the industry specifics of umbrella design.