The Young Girls Of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -... ❲2027❳

If you have only ever seen The Young Girls of Rochefort on a worn VHS tape or a fuzzy television broadcast, you have not seen it. The film’s entire philosophy is built on color.

Production designer Bernard Evein painted entire city blocks of Rochefort in pastel pinks, yellows, and aquamarines to match the costumes. The 1967 Criterion digital restoration, sourced from a 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative, is revelatory. The previous home video releases often leaned toward a muddy orange or faded pink. The Criterion edition restores the original Technicolor brilliance.

Watching Jacques Demy’s The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) on a pristine Criterion transfer is like mainlining pure, uncut joy—until you realize the joy is laced with a quiet, devastating ache. This is the film that answers the question: what if Singin’ in the Rain were directed by a French existentialist who secretly loved Hollywood musicals more than Godard hated them?

The Plot (Such as It Is): Twin sisters Delphine (Catherine Deneuve) and Solange (Françoise Dorléac, Deneuve’s real-life sister, in their only film together) teach dance and music in a sleepy port town. They dream of escaping to Paris for love and fame. Meanwhile, a murder has occurred somewhere off-screen, a sailor named Maxence (Jacques Perrin) paints the Ideal Woman he’s never met, and Gene Kelly shows up speaking dubbed French, tap-dancing like he just wandered in from 1952. Everyone is looking for a perfect lover they’ve glimpsed once. No one looks in the right place.

The Criterion Difference: Let’s be honest—this film has lived on murky VHS and sun-faded prints for decades. Criterion’s 4K restoration is a revelation. Michel Legrand’s score (one of the greatest film scores of the 20th century) pops like champagne. The pastel pinks, oranges, and mint-greens of Rochefort’s town square are so vivid you’ll want to lick the screen. Demy built an entire fake town square for this film, and Criterion makes you feel every brushstroke.

Why It’s Weirder (and Better) Than You Remember:

The Criterion Extras You Need: The documentary The Young Girls Turn 25 (1993) is essential—it catches up with the town of Rochefort, which hated the film crew but now throws an annual festival in Demy’s honor. Also, the interview with composer Michel Legrand reveals he wrote the overture overnight. Overnight. While smoking. The man was a machine. The Young Girls of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -...

The Verdict: The Young Girls of Rochefort is not a “guilty pleasure.” It’s a pleasure, period. But it’s a melancholy one. Demy understands that life rarely offers the perfect partner you painted in your head—but the search for them, accompanied by Legrand’s waltz, in a pastel town by the sea, might be enough. Criterion’s edition gives this neglected masterpiece the royal treatment it deserves. Watch it when you need to believe that romance is possible, then watch it again when you need to laugh at the impossibility of it all.

Final Thought: If Wes Anderson ever admits to stealing his entire color palette from this film, I owe him nothing. He owes Demy everything.

Rating: ★★★★½ (minus half a star for the unresolved murder, which is charmingly annoying)

The Criterion Collection edition of Jacques Demy’s The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) is available as a standalone Blu-ray/DVD or as part of "The Essential Jacques Demy" box set. This release features 2K digital restoration

and a comprehensive suite of historical and retrospective supplements The Criterion Collection Criterion Special Features

The following supplements are included in the Criterion edition: The Young Girls Turn 25 If you have only ever seen The Young

: A feature-length 1993 documentary by Agnès Varda (Demy’s widow). It revisits the town of Rochefort for the film's 25th anniversary, featuring interviews with stars like Catherine Deneuve and behind-the-scenes stories from the production. Behind the Screen

: Part two of a 1966 six-part Belgian television series about the film's production. It includes rare footage of rehearsals, set construction, and production designer Bernard Evein discussing his vibrant pastel aesthetics. Archival Interview (1966)

: A French television segment featuring director Jacques Demy and composer Michel Legrand discussing their collaboration and the film's jazz-infused score. Jacqueline Moreau & Jean-Pierre Berthomé

: A 2014 conversation between Demy's biographer and the film's costume designer, focusing on the iconic "pastel paradise" of the wardrobe. Theatrical Trailer : The original promotional trailer for the film. Printed Essay

: A booklet (or foldout) featuring "Not the Same Old Song and Dance," an essay by renowned film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum The Criterion Collection Technical Specifications

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. The Criterion Extras You Need: The documentary The

Jacques Demy’s 1967 film The Young Girls of Rochefort is a vibrant, pastel-hued musical homage to Hollywood, featuring Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac as sisters dreaming of romance and escape. The Criterion Collection #717 release highlights this French New Wave classic through a 2K restoration, including Agnès Varda’s documentary The Young Girls Turn 25

and archival interviews with composer Michel Legrand. Learn more about this release at The Criterion Collection

The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) - The Criterion Collection

Jacques Demy’s The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) is a vibrant, jazz-infused tribute to Hollywood musicals, available in a 2K digital restoration from The Criterion Collection

. The film features a famed soundtrack by Michel Legrand, Agnes Varda's documentary The Young Girls Turn 25

, and extensive interviews highlighting its blend of technicolor joy and wistful romantic connections. Explore the full release details at The Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more The Young Girls Turn 25 - The Criterion Channel