Though this film is a relatively minor one in the massive canon of Peter Sellers, it has moments of absolute hilarity. Written and directed by Blake Edwards, one of Sellers' most fertile collaborators, the film stars Sellers as a would-be actor from India (let them try to get away with that today) who is a walking disaster area. After ruining a day's shooting as an extra on a film, he finds himself unintentionally invited to a big Hollywood party. That's pretty much it as far as plot goes, but Edwards and Sellers know how to milk a simple idea for an unending string of slapstick gags. The result is a film that is episodic and sketchy but also frequently loony in an inspired way. --Marshall Fine
Melville's masterful take on the American crime thriller perfectly combines the Hollywood gangster film with his uniquely French style. Starring Alain Delon as a master theif Yves Montand as an alcoholic ex-cop and Italian star Gian-Maria Volonte as an escaped criminal the trio plot a daring heist of an upmarket Parisian jewellery store against impossible odds.
Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' is an unforgettable story of a lost love! Set in the French seaside town of Cherbourg the all-sung dialogue tells the story of shop-girl Genevieve (Catherine Deneuve) who discovers that she is pregnant after her garage mechanic boyfriend Guy (Nino Castelnuovo) is drafted to fight in the Algerian war. She marries the decent and honourable diamond merchant Roland Cassard (Marc Michel) but lives
The Invitation (L'invitation)
Jacques Demy's haunting romantic musical is an enchanting, one-of-a-kind musical experience. It's basically a movie operetta, in which the characters sing all the dialogue (or, rather, lyrics--by director Demy) to Michel Legrand's lovely score. The story spans five years (1957-1962) in the life of GeneviƩve (the ethereally beautiful Catherine Deneuve in the role that launched her to international stardom), the teenage daughter of a woman who owns a Cherbourg umbrella shop. After GeneviƩve's boyfriend Guy (Nino Castelnuovo) is drafted and sent off to Algeria, she discovers she's pregnant and complications ensue. With its dazzling candy-coloured palette, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg looks sweet and dreamy. Restored and re-released in 1995 to rapturous acclaim and the renewed delight of all who got the chance to see it. The video release is taken from the restored version. --Jim Emerson, Amazon.com
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