The Young Girls of Rochefort (Les Demoiselles De Rochefort)

1967, Jacques Demy, France, 126 min, French with English Subtitles Selected and introduced by film and television producer Jack Lechner.

This effervescent musical about missed connections and second chances features twins Delphine and Solange, a dance instructor and a music teacher (played by real-life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac) who long for big-city life. When a fair comes through their quiet port town, so does the possibility of escape. With its jazzy Michel Legrand score, pastel paradise of costumes, and strong supporting cast (George Chakiris, Grover Dale, Danielle Darrieux, Michel Piccoli, and Gene Kelly), The Young Girls of Rochefort is a tribute to optimism from director Jacques Demy.

“The cast is extremely solid and alive, and The Young Girls of Rochefort is certainly the best musical in some time.” —New York Times, 1968

For this film series, you were asked to select your favorite film based on its soundtrack, score, or other audio elements; why did you select The Young Girls of Rochefort?

“In addition to being the single biggest influence on Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, Jacques Demy’s The Young Girls of Rochefort is the sheerest expression of pure joy in the history of movies—a nonstop celebration of song, dance, and romantic idealism.” —Jack Lechner

Cabaret Cinema: Soundtrack

You can probably name the best movie you’ve seen, but what about the best movie you’ve heard? It might be your favorite because of its sound effects, sound engineering, score, or another element of the audio experience. Watch—and hear—a series of films that caught the ear of notable New Yorkers.

About the Introducer

As an executive at Miramax and Film Four, Jack Lechner was involved in the production and development of dozens of movies, including The Crying Game, Good Will Hunting, and The Full Monty. He is currently supervising producer on an as-yet-untitled feature documentary directed by Bennett Miller (Capote, Moneyball, Foxcatcher). Other producing credits include Explorer for National Geographic; The New Yorker Presents for Amazon; The Fog Of War; Blue Valentine; Left Of The Dial for HBO; TruInside for TruTV; Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys for Sundance; and the pilot of Mad Men for AMC. Jack is also an associate professor at Columbia University.