Jacques Demy special: Les demoiselles de Rochefort

Although he is often counted amongst the Nouvelle Vague, the versatile director Jacques Demy (1931–1990) forged his own path. Demy did not merely make films: he created an entire cinematic world. The films he made in the 1960s can now be seen at the Luxor in 4K-restored versions.

Jacques Demy distinguished himself from his Nouvelle Vague colleagues by blending his self-assured formalism with deeply emotional stories. Fate and chance, doomed love and fairy-tale romance are recurring themes in his films. Moreover, many of these films are interconnected through the intersecting lives of characters who appear in different titles or are referred to in them. His films are triumphs of visual and sound design, cinematography and music – the language of the heart. They are brought to life by the great stars of French cinema, including Anouk Aimée, Catherine Deneuve and Jeanne Moreau.

Programme

In August, Luxor screened the 1964 film *Les parapluies de Cherbourg *. This month, three more films by Demy are on the programme:

Les Demoiselles de Rochefort (1967)

An exuberant musical about the twin sisters Delphine and Solange, who dream of a life full of love, art and adventure beyond the quiet town of Rochefort. Starring Catherine Deneuve and her sister Françoise Dorléac, Danielle Darrieux and Hollywood legend Gene Kelly.