The third annual presentation of
Films on the Green, via the the
Cultural Services of the French Embassy, begins tonight, 6/11, at 8:30 with a screening of
Jacques Demy's
THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT in Central Park - Cedar Hill, 79 St & 5th Avenue. The rain date is tomorrow, June 12, though the weather prediction for this evening is clear and pleasant, if a bit on the cool side. So bring a sweater, as well as food & drink, should you want to make a picnic out of the evening.
Demy's follow-up to his international hit
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg proved not the smash that his earlier film had been. In fact,
TrustMovies first saw it as a young man in his 20s and hated it. 30 years later, seeing it again, he fell in love with it, and now owns the DVD of the version restored by Demy's widow
Agnès Varda, which he watches every few years -- including this very morning, as an end-of-week pick-me-up).
Young Girls seems to divide viewers pretty thoroughly, but if you give over, for even a few moments, to its bright pastels, its town with a dancing, color-coordinated populace; and its story of consistently thwarted loves (including one hatchet murderer, but don't worry, there's no blood), chances are you'll fall for its many charms.
Catherine Deneuve and her late sister
Françoise Dorléac (at right in the two photos, top) have never looked lovelier, and
George Chakiris (above, left),
Gene Kelly (below, left, and bottom, center),
Grover Dale (above, right),
Danielle Darrieux,
Michel Piccoli and the young, blond and supremely adorable
Jacques Perrin make up the rest of the to-die-for cast, and the music by
Michel Legrand is his usual, dear, sweet, melodic and repetitive stuff.
These outdoor screenings have become a popular staple of summertime in New York City, and this year's series of six evenings, each featuring a French movie musical, may prove the most enticing of all. (You can consult the entire schedule -- including film, locations, dates and times --
here.)
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