Of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -...: The Young Girls

Set over the course of a single weekend in the picturesque seaside town of Rochefort, the film weaves together the lives of several characters searching for love and artistic fulfillment.

The central figures are twin sisters, Delphine and Solange Garnier, played by real-life sisters Françoise Dorléac and Catherine Deneuve. Delphine teaches dance, while Solange teaches music; both dream of escaping their small town for the bright lights of Paris. Around them orbits a colorful cast of characters: a former pianist turned painter (Jacques Perrin) searching for his muse, an American musician (Gene Kelly) passing through town, and a suspicious fairground operator (Michel Piccoli).

The brilliance of the script lies in its structure of "missed connections." Characters constantly cross paths, nearly meeting their soulmates, only to just miss one another until the grand finale. It is a symphony of coincidences, choreography, and chance. The Young Girls of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -...

Jacques Demy’s The Young Girls of Rochefort (Les Demoiselles de Rochefort) is a sunlit, Technicolor hymn to youth, longing, and the buoyant possibilities of love. At once playful and wistful, the film is a masterclass in how musical films can marry visual design, choreography, and melody to create an emotional world that feels both stylized and deeply humane.

The film is a time capsule of 1960s elegance, anchored by the luminous presence of the Deneuve-Dorléac sisters. Set over the course of a single weekend

If you have only ever seen The Young Girls of Rochefort on a worn VHS tape or a fuzzy television broadcast, you have not seen it. The film’s entire philosophy is built on color.

Production designer Bernard Evein painted entire city blocks of Rochefort in pastel pinks, yellows, and aquamarines to match the costumes. The 1967 Criterion digital restoration, sourced from a 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative, is revelatory. The previous home video releases often leaned toward a muddy orange or faded pink. The Criterion edition restores the original Technicolor brilliance. Around them orbits a colorful cast of characters:

Catherine Deneuve (Delphine) and Françoise Dorléac (Solange) are luminous and complementary. Deneuve’s restrained melancholy contrasts with Dorléac’s brighter vivacity, giving the film a central emotional axis. Their chemistry—both sisterly and distinct—grounds the film’s more fanciful elements. Supporting turns (Jacques Perrin, George Chakiris, and Michel Piccoli among them) add charm and poignancy, while Gene Kelly’s role as a worldly American choreographer provides a playful bridge to classic Hollywood musicals.

One of the film’s greatest curiosities is the presence of Gene Kelly. By 1967, Kelly was a god of MGM musicals. His casting was a strategic move by Demy, who wanted to pay homage to Singin’ in the Rain and An American in Paris. Kelly plays Andy Miller, a frustrated composer who drives a boat-shaped Cadillac.

Critics in 1967 were divided. Some found Kelly’s presence jarring—a slab of American beefsteak in a delicate French soufflé. But viewed today, his role is the film’s thesis statement. Demy isn’t just making a French musical; he is arguing that joy is a universal language. When Kelly dances with Dorléac on a soundstage designed to look like a traveling carnival, the artifice is the point. They are not in Rochefort; they are in the shared dream of cinema.