The Young Girls Of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -... [new] Jun 2026

The Young Girls of Rochefort is a Technicolor musical romance that follows twin sisters, Delphine (Catherine Deneuve) and Solange (Françoise Dorléac), who dream of leaving their quiet Atlantic coastal town of Rochefort for the glamour and artistic opportunities of Paris. Delphine seeks true love; Solange aspires to be a renowned composer.

was one of the first musicals to emerge from the French New Wave movement, which sought to revolutionize filmmaking with innovative storytelling, visual styles, and a focus on youth culture. Demy and de Broca's collaboration brought a fresh perspective to the genre, infusing it with a sense of spontaneity, energy, and playfulness. The Young Girls of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -...

Catherine Deneuve (Delphine) and Françoise Dorléac (Solange) are luminous and complementary. Deneuve’s restrained melancholy contrasts with Dorléac’s brighter vivacity, giving the film a central emotional axis. Their chemistry—both sisterly and distinct—grounds the film’s more fanciful elements. Supporting turns (Jacques Perrin, George Chakiris, and Michel Piccoli among them) add charm and poignancy, while Gene Kelly’s role as a worldly American choreographer provides a playful bridge to classic Hollywood musicals. The Young Girls of Rochefort is a Technicolor

The brilliance of the script lies in its structure of "missed connections." Characters constantly cross paths, nearly meeting their soulmates, only to just miss one another until the grand finale. It is a symphony of coincidences, choreography, and chance. Demy and de Broca's collaboration brought a fresh

The Young Girls of Rochefort has aged into a curious artifact: a musical about failure that feels like a triumph. Damien Chazelle has cited its color palette for La La Land ; Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch owes a debt to its theatricalized streets. But the film’s true heir is perhaps the lonely viewer who, after the final curtain call (and that breathtaking crane shot lifting over the sisters’ departing bus), rewinds to the opening number. Because Rochefort is a film that does not end—it only loops. Like the carnival’s mechanical organ, like the twins’ unanswered letters, like Dorléac’s ghost.

: A 1993 documentary by Agnès Varda that revisits the town of Rochefort 25 years after the original production.