This meme celebrates an awesome adaptation related to a weekly category. Any format of adaptation (television series, film, web series, etc.) is acceptable as long as it is based in some form on a book. Awesome Adaptations was created by Alisa Selene at PictureMeReading.
An Awesomely French
Title: Les Demoiselles De Rochefort
This is technically, absolutely and definitely not an adaptation of a book, short story, play or even a poem. And I really tried to shoehorn this into something literary based. But I didn't find a thing. I'm still going to talk about it though because even though there are a couple French films I've seen that are adaptations of a book, this is just my absolute favorite French film. Sometimes my absolute favorite film ever! And I really want to talk about it!
It's a pastiche and homage to the musical movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood (and it features one Gene Kelly) and because I love that era of film, this movie could appeal to me on that alone. But where movie musicals from the 40s and 50s might have some vestige of realism to them (somewhere) there is absolutely no realism in the way Les Demoiselles de Rochefort plays out. If you want a film vibrant with fun, love and serendipity that just makes you bubble up with joy, than this is the film. (Um, except for the part where there's a brutal murder. I'm serious. It's incidental though, and even that has a rather cheery song to go with it as people gossip.) From the way the background actors dance and twirl as they are walking down the street to the dinner scene where their conversation (which is spoken!) randomly just rhymes this movie is filled with an effervescent sense of happiness even as the twins who are the main protagonists struggle to find their true loves and fulfill their life's ambitions. There's a sense of happy melancholy even in the twins' sincere wistfulness.
I love the music in this film as well which is so wonderfully pop and jazz infused, and sprinkled throughout the film sometimes at odd but somehow perfect moments, that really bring out all the emotions of the characters. There are three pairs of lovelorn lovers here and what is truly delicious is how the film continually keeps them apart until the romantically satisfying end. I have a favorite of the three couples (hint: Gene Kelly) and the two dance sequences where Andy first meets Solange, and finally sees her again in the end, is so breathtakingly romantic with joy and yearning. I'm such a sucker for those scenes, I just love to curl up on the couch while watching and dream about being able to dance so beautifully.
I don't know if I can recommend this film highly enough! You have to like movie musicals though because this movie takes that to the next level of song and dance integration, and you have to like romantic flights of fancy because this is it in a 2 hour moving picture. It's gorgeous and fluffy and swoony and a ridiculous amount of fun!
It's a pastiche and homage to the musical movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood (and it features one Gene Kelly) and because I love that era of film, this movie could appeal to me on that alone. But where movie musicals from the 40s and 50s might have some vestige of realism to them (somewhere) there is absolutely no realism in the way Les Demoiselles de Rochefort plays out. If you want a film vibrant with fun, love and serendipity that just makes you bubble up with joy, than this is the film. (Um, except for the part where there's a brutal murder. I'm serious. It's incidental though, and even that has a rather cheery song to go with it as people gossip.) From the way the background actors dance and twirl as they are walking down the street to the dinner scene where their conversation (which is spoken!) randomly just rhymes this movie is filled with an effervescent sense of happiness even as the twins who are the main protagonists struggle to find their true loves and fulfill their life's ambitions. There's a sense of happy melancholy even in the twins' sincere wistfulness.
I love the music in this film as well which is so wonderfully pop and jazz infused, and sprinkled throughout the film sometimes at odd but somehow perfect moments, that really bring out all the emotions of the characters. There are three pairs of lovelorn lovers here and what is truly delicious is how the film continually keeps them apart until the romantically satisfying end. I have a favorite of the three couples (hint: Gene Kelly) and the two dance sequences where Andy first meets Solange, and finally sees her again in the end, is so breathtakingly romantic with joy and yearning. I'm such a sucker for those scenes, I just love to curl up on the couch while watching and dream about being able to dance so beautifully.
I don't know if I can recommend this film highly enough! You have to like movie musicals though because this movie takes that to the next level of song and dance integration, and you have to like romantic flights of fancy because this is it in a 2 hour moving picture. It's gorgeous and fluffy and swoony and a ridiculous amount of fun!
Interesting! I've never seen a French film before, but this one sounds fun (uh... minus the brutal murder of course)!
ReplyDeleteFrench films are so fun! I am trying to learn the language so that is extra incentive. But when I read this category I totally thought I had to pick an adaptation in French! :D
DeleteIt's a really fun film and the music is just wonderful. :)
ReplyDeleteYay, I'm glad you liked it too! One less person to convert! :)
DeleteI LOVE this film..it makes me so happy!
ReplyDeleteAw, same for me! I always watch it (or at least a few scenes) if I need a pickmeup!
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