Jacques Demy followed up The Umbrellas of Cherbourg with another musical about missed connections and second chances, this one a more effervescent confection. Twins Delphine and Solange, a dance instructor and a music teacher (played by real-life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac), 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 divine supporting cast (George Chakiris, Grover Dale, Danielle Darrieux, Michel Piccoli, and Gene Kelly), The Young Girls of Rochefort is a tribute to Hollywood optimism from sixties French cinema’s preeminent dreamer.
Playing w/ The Young Girls at 25 (Dir. Agnes Varda, 1993, 66 Minutes)
For this documentary about the making of The Young Girls of Rochefort, filmmaker Agnès Varda, director Jacques Demy’s widow, returned to the town of Rochefort for the film’s twenty-fifth anniversary. In it, she interviews actors Catherine Deneuve, Jacques Perrin, and George Chakiris, as well as townspeople who were present during the filming.
Camp Balboa is a monthly series highlighting campy film classics that play with color, humor, queerness, self-expression, or all of the above. Sometimes accompanied with yummy snack pop-ups or drag shows!
This film can be used with loyalty cards or our 2026 annual CinemaSF passes