Ursula_Two_Point_Seven_T

I wasn't planning on watching this movie when it aired on TCM last night. The on-screen TV guide's synopsis sounded dreadful: "a movie with the dialogue entirely sung"? Um, no thanks! But it came on after a movie that I _was_ watching, and I was elsewhere in the house and didn't bother turning of the TV, and on came "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg". About 10 minutes into it, I found myself loving the music. The French was so beautiful, and the voices were so clear and melodic. I went back into the TV room and rewound the movie to the beginning (thank you Tivo!) and watched the entire thing. It was just that captivating!

The music, the singing, the bold colors, the attractive actors, the sweet and sad story ... it all hooked me and reeled me in. I would imagine this is a film that you'd either love or hate, as it's so "out there" style-wise.

The story is told simply -- not simplistically, but simply. Like with a good silent film, we don't need tons of dialogue to understand what's going on -- we can supply the details and the emotions ourselves, and that makes us part of the picture ourselves, not just mere observers. I felt that somewhat with Umbrellas as well -- the singing dialogue briefly touches on the underlying emotions, and we fill that in with our own experience and emotions. And of course helping with this is the music, which has its own language and touches you in places words can't reach or describe. I found the whole "conceit" of the movie to be quite effective, and not gimmicky at all ... it was a genuine, artistic, and powerful means of conveying an all-too common story and making it so much more. It is a beautiful piece of moving art!