One of my favorite movies of all time, Jacque Demy's bittersweet love story is a audial and visual feast. Most famous for its use of music (every line is sung), we discussed in class how the film also masterfully utilizes color to tell its story about the choice to follow one's heart in the rain or put up an umbrella and play it safe.
As we discuss this film, let's begin with the following questions:
- What did you like or not like about the use of music and color? Why?
- Which characters do you most relate with? Why? Which characters do you dislike? Why?
- How did this film help you connect with French culture?
Tucker again:
ReplyDeleteEven though I was unable to finish the whole movie due to some sickness on Tuesday, I still found the first half really interesting.
I thought it was cool to see a film that had all of the sound imported because there were some things you could hear perfectly and other things you didn't have any sound for. Another thing I found was interesting was the color schemes, the director did very well on setting the perfect mood via color: you have some blues and pinks for romantic or calm moods and reds or darks for more serious moments.
The only thin I didn't like was the musical side, I find musicals a bit too much when I'm watching a movie, I prefer comedic or more serious films. This is just a personal taste and I don't hate musicals (I've played in 2)
Other than my distaste in musical, I found this movie somewhat enjoyable and would recommend it too anyone who likes French romances or musicals.
Good job catching the use of color in the film. Thanks for finding the fact about all the sound being done in post. I was also fascinated with looking for what actions made sounds and which ones didn't.
DeleteI honestly didn’t think I would like it as much as I did. But I have to say that it wouldn’t be the same with out the music, the color was beautiful, it made a lot more sense after you pointed it out why the color was changing like that cause I wrote down the the colors keep getting duller. Its was a grea tartistic touch that made me enjoy the movie even more.
ReplyDeleteI like Guy the best, he is such a sweet man, with a sexy voice. I liked his personality and I honestly liked the choises he made. It wasn’t romanticly ideal, but realisticly its what more people would have done. Which is obviously more relatable. And he ws cute.
I don’t know really how it helped me to connect. But it was a good movie. Extreamly artistic and one of my new favorites. It was like a romantic movie that was sad and real. Which is my favorite type. Haha. I loved the ending and I wouldn’t want it any other way. But I guess it showed me how that could be interprited as french new wave from all the art.
I love the ending too. It's the perfect kind of sad! Thanks for helping me understand the sexiness of Guy's voice ;)
DeleteI think this is one of those films where it is very hard not to fall in love with - even if you aren't a fan of singing dialogue, there's easily a lot of other things that can attract your attention, like the beautiful actors and their acting, the bitter-sweet adolescent romance plot, or the fantastic use of color/set design.
ReplyDeleteThis movie is totally gorgeous. Personally, I can't find anything that I dislike about it. I fell in love the first time I watched in in Film History, and still have the same feelings then, that I do now.
For one, I do enjoy singing films but they aren't ones that I particular take a deep interest in immediately. But for UoC, I think it's wonderful. It's so damn unique how the singing is the dialogue too, and everyone in the film has a gorgeous voice; makes everything a better experience. I also dont find the singing dialogue too out of the ordinary after 30 minutes or so into the movie, it isn't hard to get taken away by the plot and hardly notice that it's a singing movie.
For favorite characters, I dont really have one. There are the main characters that we see most of, Guy and Genevieve, and then the side characters that have smaller parts (mother, Roland, Elise*?*) who even though are good characters, there isn't something super special about them since the story is all about the magic of Guy and Genevieve. I love both. Both are sweet, in love, played the parts well - like Jenika said, the choices in the end weren't romantically ideal, but it was realistic. Genevieve had to make her choices, move on, as did Guy. They grew up. Young love was lost and there were no negative feelings between the two in the end, just a very sad cloud of nostalgia haha.
Yeah, I also don't know how it helped me to connect to the French, besides having a reminding appreciation of how much I love the beautiful french singing and the crews outstanding set design. Wah. Everything was so intricately thought out. I know it had taken a lot of work. So great to see something like that on screen, and to be made well done.
Rose
(I think I am all caught up now on my blog posts. I think this one was late.)
All I have to say Rose is dido. Dido.
DeleteCarlos Lopez
ReplyDeleteit was an amazing movie color played realy well and it complemented each other the way it shows two people's love for each other and would do anything for each other.
now what i hate about the film is the the girl leaves the main male character for another one guy and he then has to go for the girl next door and then he has a kid with both girl and they have the same name.
but all in all i will watch this movie again.
So, you hate the choice that the girl made but does that mean that you hate the movie? Would the experience of watching the film be better or worse for you if she made another decision?
DeleteGlad you enjoyed the use of color so much!
Please be much more specific in your responses. I would like to see at least one more paragraph of the length of the paragraphs you have here.
I love this movie, so much! Never get tired of it, EVER.
ReplyDeleteI don't think i ever noticed how the music and the colors played together like they did in the beginning until you pointed it out. It was very creative and well thought out. I love that the color set the mood for whatever was about to happen. The character that i watched( Genevieve's mom) always wore red when she was angry and upset with Genevieve. She also wore a lot of hot pink... I don't really know what that could symbolize, maybe boastful like she knew everything. I don't think i could find anything in the color or music that i didn't like, it all went together perfectly in my mind.
I don't think i could pick a favorite character. I kinda like and dislike them all. Haha, i love how in love and how flawlessly beautiful Genevieve is, but i hate how she didn't keep her word to Guy. Guy is very handsome and has that attitude every girl looks for in a guy. But, when he got back from the army it made me mad that he didn't go to Genevieve and tell her he was alive and that he wanted her back, and at the end when he said he didnt want to see his daughter that made me mad. I never liked Genevieve's mom, how she tried to control everything that happened in Genevieve's life and then she just dies...
This film portrayed how romantic the french culture and language are. I've always thought French was a beautiful language, but a movie with all singing in French made it seem more beautiful than it already is.
I wonder what this film would be like if they were singing in English instead of French (not dubbed but had actors actually singing in English). Would it work as well?
DeleteFor the most part, I thought the idea of singing every line in the movie was a pretty cool idea. And it was pulled off pretty well. If there was one complaint about it, it's that it could take a while for some of the characters to just say what they're going to say. Since they're singing, they had to match the tempo of the music, and be artistic about it, instead of just saying a line.
ReplyDeleteI thought the color choices in the film were cool as well. I saw all the crazy colors in the movie, but until you really explained them, I didn't really notice the importance of them. Like Genevieve only wearing red when she admits she's pregnant, or how the colors people wear get duller and duller as the film goes on. And the whole thing with the umbrellas at the beginning planning out the whole movie.
One thing I noticed in this movie, might have actually been all in my head. Every once and a while I would get caught up listening to the music, and I would think, "When was the last time there was a cut?" It seemed like some of the shots went on for a long time. I always think that's impressive when shots are able to move around and go on for a while. Like the 2nd scene from 12 Angry Men where they're all meeting, and it doesn't cut for like 5 minutes, but you never notice. And if the actors had to keep singing in time with the music while not cutting, then that would be even more impressive.
Good observation about the cuts. I've never taken the time to pay much attention to how often the film cuts but, it seems to me, based on my memory, that you're right: the film does not cut very often. It uses lots of moving cameras to refocus our attention on some new thing without cutting.
DeleteI do, remember; however, a few scenes where there are lots of cuts: the scene at the jewelry store and the scene at dinner with the "magic bean" thing have lots of cuts between close up's of the different characters looking at each other. I think this was done because, in those particular scenes, Demy wanted to use gazes to emphasize how these different characters feel about each other and the games they are playing which go deeper than their words. If my memory serves true, I think the same is true for the last conversation between Guy and Genevieve.
I could not stop watching it, I was so into it. I was glued to the screen. At first I though it was going to be bad because a film where all they do is sing? Sounds like a disaster and I dislike musicals to begin with, but this was just so intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI was really pissed about the ending but I know that's what they were going for. I really appreciate it though because it's not all fantasy, Disney, happily ever after stuff that's too over done. But it did make me angry. But that means they're good at their job because they can really convey the feeling that they want, and I'm pretty sure that's how they wanted us to feel.
It made me think about what I would do in her situation, if I would go for the guy that was just there at that moment or wait for my love. I think I would get so depressed that I would go with any guy who wanted me. But I'm just hoping that'll never happen to me because I already know I don't NEED a man. She seemed like a man was all she ever wanted, she didn't seem like she had any plans for herself.
But I really did like it and all of the singing and color just drew me in more.
Sir Whovian, Out!
sorry this comment is by Autumn if you couldn't tell
DeleteI love two things about your response: (1) you are able to recognize that just because an ending to a movie invokes negative feelings doesn't mean that the ending is bad (I mean, how many of us would honestly say that this movie would be better if Genevieve and Guy got together at the end); and (2) you used the scenario in the movie as an opportunity to think about how you would act in a similar scenario, transforming the moving-watching from a mere aesthetic experience (however truly satisfying that may be) to a meaningful life experience.
Deletehey, sup
ReplyDeletei really like this movie. and the fact the they sing through the entire thing is really cool because even now that i think back to the movie it doesn't seem like i remember them singing.
the way they used color in this movie was awwweeessome. soo so cool. which is kind of funnny in it's self because whenever i think about art in france i think of painting and you could definatly say that they tried to paint the colors into this movie. if you will.
i hated the girl and her mother. they are both stupid unfaithful sluzies. and i really liked the main guys character. sorry all of the names escape me right meow.
-xak
The "main guys" name is "Guy" (rhymes with "key"). Cool correlation about painting-art and film-art in France.
DeleteHey "Jelte", thanks for mixing up these posts with a differing opinion. Please do give me a little more info (at least three paragraphs) to further justify your opinion. You rock!
ReplyDelete