“Un Matisse Qui Chante”: Music, Image, and Drama in Les parapluies de Cherbourg

2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the beloved French film musical Les parapluies de Cherbourg, created in 1963 by Jacques Demy and Michel Legrand. This bittersweet tale of two young lovers is sung from beginning to end, with no spoken dialogue-a bold and unique idea at the time. Working closely with the composer and with the designer Bernard Evein, Demy fashioned a film in which each dramatic, visual, and musical element contributes to the whole. Legrand’s rich score ranges across many styles, including jazz, the romantic, and the neo-baroque. Using sources from the archives of Demy and Legrand, Frisch will trace the development of Les parapluies. He will discuss the film’s social, cultural and historical contexts, its place with the oeuvre of Demy and Legrand, and its influence on later film musicals. 

Learn more about Walter Frisch