Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Umbrellas v. Top Hats
One way to look at the Umbrellas of Cherbourg is as a radical revisioning of the tradition of the Hollywood musical. In what ways does it changes stylistically from such films as Top Hat? How does it change thematically? Are their visions of love similar or dramatically different? Are Guy and Genevieve "In Heaven" in the same ways as Jerry and Dale?
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When thinking about the differences between Top Hat and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, I think about the differences in the ways they were filmed and the ways their stories differed. I thought it was interesting when we saw the different types of camera angles in the Umbrellas movie. An example was when they were driving and looked straight up into the sky and were looking at the trees as they were driving by. In Top Hat there were a lot of long shots and medium shots when they were filming big chorus scenes, but in the Umbrellas movie, they mainly stayed in medium shots, although there weren’t many spectacular musical numbers. I think that there were also differences in the way the music was used in the two movies and how the musical numbers set up different scenes. In Top Hat, whenever there was a dramatic scene leading to music, the characters would all come together and there would a meaningful song to their problems. In Umbrellas, whenever there was a dramatic point leading to a suspected musical piece, there would be nothing but a quick confrontation and an abrupt ending. The two stories were extremely different as well, mainly because in Top Hat the two lovers were always around and couldn’t stop thinking about each other. In Umbrellas, the two main characters who fell in love and had a child were separated for much of the movie and didn’t seem to care to reconnect. This created a different type of love story because neither of them had the goal to find the other person.
ReplyDeleteThe film, Umbrellas of Cherbourg, changes stylistically from Top Hat by making the film more relatable rather than everything being elegant and beautiful. In Top Hat, all of the scenes looked completely staged in a beautiful environment while The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is more set in a regular everyday town. Along with this, the film Top Hat is filmed in black and white with everything shining and elegant whereas the Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a color movie that heavily emphasizes the colors depending on the situation and tone of the moment. The films differ thematically by Top Hat displaying a love story that was meant to be and that ends in the two people who love each other being together. Whereas, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg displays the tragedy of love in terms of timing through the two main characters being in love but due to circumstances, end their relationship and go their separate ways even though they were meant to be together. The two films of love are different because Top Hat display loves as a feeling that can’t keep said people who love each other apart, whereas The Umbrellas of Cherbourg displays a very realistic point of view in that love doesn’t always work out based on societal happenings. Overall, I feel both films display how love is eternal but that Top Hat shows they will end up together no matter what, whereas The Umbrella of Cherbourg displays how life tends to realistically separate soul mates from staying together.
ReplyDeleteOne way the film, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is different from the film, Top Hat is how each film’s view on love is different. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg shows that love is not always so easy and can be very messy and complicated at times. An example of this is the relationship between Guy and Genevieve. At the beginning they were in love saying that they would die if they lost the other person. However, once Guy left for the army, Genevieve married a different guy after a couple of months. They were so committed to each other before he left, and they were expecting to be back together when Guy came back. But it wasn’t that simple because Genevieve was pregnant, and a rich man was offering to marry her and give her and her child a good life. Because of these things, it wasn’t a simple situation for Genevieve, and it wasn’t ideal for her to wait for Guy even though she loved him. In the film, Top Hat, the view on love is that true love will always conquer any obstacle at the end of the day. An example is when the main female character was going to marry the other guy, but that fell through and Jerry ended up marrying the main female character. Despite all the obstacles in the film, the main characters still ended up together showing that true love conquers all. However, this is the complete opposite in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg because the main characters loved each other, but did not end up together at the end of the day because of all the obstacles.
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting film to watch strictly based on the fact that the singing did not stop throughout the whole movie. This was a drastic change from the style of Top Hat where there was singing and talking throughout the movie. This was a change that I thought I would not like but I enjoyed and found interesting because I have never seen something like this in a film. The film style was also different it was in color and the film angle were closer and not as many wide screen shots. This gave a better feel for the emotions of the film and for the settings that the characters were in. compared to top hat I really liked this movie and would watch this film again. The story line and the execution of the film I thought was 100% better than Top Hat and had me guessing on what would happen next compared to the predictability of the Top Hat film. This was the major flaw that made Top Hat the lesser film in my mind.
ReplyDeleteThere are multiple different ways that Umbrellas of Cherbourg created new ways of portraying their musical. One stylistic choice that was made was the singing. In the traditional musical such as top hat, the vast majority of the dialogue is talking. Top Hat chooses to sprinkle in musical numbers throughout the film. Umbrellas of Cherbourg chooses a different approach as it makes the entire dialogue a musical. At no point in the movie do any of the characters stop singing, setting this film apart from others. This changes the dynamic of the movie along with emphasizes the impressiveness of this musical. Another difference between the two musicals is their portrayal of love. Top Hat chooses to depict love as everlasting and instant. It also depicts love as something that is literally traveling to the end of the earth for true love. In Umbrella’s of Cherbourg it adopts a significantly different understanding of love. Instead of love being instant and worth everything, it happens but the musical shows that love is not worth everything. Instead the movie depicts love as great but one’s lifestyle is more important. Genevieve has fallen in love with Guy but marries the rich man. This is due to the difficulty of her life, she is unable to wait for guy and decides to choose the rich man so that her child has a father. While initially both Guy and Genevieve are hurt, the movie shows that they eventually move on and continue with their lives.
ReplyDeleteTop Hat and Umbrellas of Cherbourg are very different in many ways with the only common thread between the two is the presence of music and singing throughout the film. In Top Hat Jerry and Dale have a very idealistic relationship with little conflict which seems to get solved through singing and dancing. In Umbrellas of Cherbourg although they sing that doesn’t affect the tone of the film in a happy way like Top Hat because they are dealing with difficult problems unlike Jerry and Dale. In Umbrellas of Cherbourg Guy has to go off to war for two years and shortly after he leaves, Genevieve finds out that she is pregnant. With pressure from her mom she ends up marrying another man with Guy not aware of this until he returns. This situation is a lot less ideal then Jerry and Dale who’s biggest problem is that Dale thinks that Jerry is her best friend’s husband, Horace. There is also a huge difference in the way that Top Hat and Umbrellas of Cherbourg end. Top Hat ends in the typical Hollywood style by having a happy ending of Jerry and Dale getting married. Umbrellas of Cherbourg however does not have a happy ending for Genevieve and Guy. The film ends with Guy and Genevieve seeing each other in a gas station where Guy works. Instead of resolving their old conflicts Guy refuses to meet the daughter they had together and they both go back to their respective spouses.
ReplyDeleteWhen comparing the Hollywood film Top Hat, and the French New Wave film Umbrellas of Cherbourg, one can immediately agree that the two are wildly different in a number of technical ways. To start of, the style of these two films, while both musicals, are incomparable. In Top Hat for example, there are quite a few musical numbers tied into the movie. However, in Umbrellas of Cherbourg, everyline of the movie is sung. In addition, in Top Hat there are many scenes in which the actors are dancing whereas in Umbrellas, there are no true dancing scenes (besides the one mini clip of the couple at the dance club thing). Besides Style, there are also many differences in the themes of these two films. For example, Top Hat follows the classic Hollywood plot: Goal, Time limit, conclusion/meeting goal/happy ending. In alternative, Umbrellas of Cherbourg does not keep up with any of these lines in the plot. We see this when Genevieve gives up on waiting for Guy - eliminates the both the goal and the time limit/restraint. As she is no longer going to spend her time thinking about him/caring. Then, after they meet up again after many years, instead of falling back in love/ending up together or even just talking and becoming friends and meeting each others' new families, they go they have an unfriendly exchange and go their separate ways for good. Never to see one another again. And thus the conclusion doesn't necessarily conclude the initial goal at all! Finally, each films representation/interpretation of love is dramatically different. Top Hat/Jerry and Dale show/s that it will always work out if you work hard enough for it and that if you are meant to be with someone you will, in the end, find a way to be with them. On the opposite side of the spectrum, we have Umbrellas of Cherbourg's representation of love, which is that love isn't as perfect and magical as many make it out to be and things don't always end up how you want them to and you must simply adjust to the circumstances.
ReplyDeleteMichel Legrand's, Umbrellas of Cherbourg, differs from Top Hat in many ways. Stylistically, Umbrellas of Cherbourg differs from Top Hat in that the colors are much more vibrant. Whereas Top Hat was filmed in black and white, Umbrellas of Cherbourg incorporate eye-catching colors and sets. Unlike Umbrella's of Cherbourg, Top Hat makes up for in costume what it lacks in color. Top Hat included much more elaborate sets and ornate costumes (like Dale's feather dress), whereas Umbrellas of Cherbourg created a more simplistic set and costume, but with very vibrant colors. The set in Umbrellas of Cherbourg was also seemingly fake- although it was set in a real town, the style that they repainted and wallpapered the walls (within the Umbrella Shop and Genevieve's home, for example) made it seem more like an obvious and overly quaint Hollywood set as opposed to a real town. Additionally, although both Top Hat and Umbrellas of Cherbourg are both musicals, Top Hat incorporates some spoken dialogue, whereas Umbrellas of Cherbourg doesn't have a single word of dialogue - every word is sung. The two couples - Guy & Genevieve vs Dale & Jerry - are similar in that they have to overcome obstacles, as fate seems to want to tear them apart from one another. However, where Dale & Jerry overcome their issues, Guy and Genevieve do not. Perhaps the biggest and most notable difference in the two films is that, thematically, Top Hat assures the viewer the typical Hollywood "Happy Ending". Whether it actually be happy or sad, the viewer feels some sort of closure or resolution of conflict. In Umbrellas of Cherbourg, however, there is no such ending. Instead, Legrand chooses to end the film with the two lovers, Genevieve and Guy, parting ways and leading their own lives with their respective families. Not only do they not end up back together in the film, but Guy never officially meets the daughter he had with Genevieve. Additionally, Guy and Genevieve don't resolve their feelings over how Genevieve chose to handle their situation while Guy was away at war, and their departure feels like it is somewhat bitter. This departure from a typical happy ending - or even a sad ending that gives some sense of resolution - is a perfect example of an intentional radical revisioning of film.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to masterfully accomplishing the feat of singing every line as a song, Umbrellas of Cherbourg differs from Top Hat because it adopts a different interpretation of what love is like. What is special a musical is that each song adds extra emphasis to a specific event in the movie. For example, each of the critical scenes in Top Hat is portrayed as a musical number like; “Isn’t it a lovely day” when Jerry and Dale first meet, “cheek to cheek” the second time they see each other, “Piccolino” the finale dance number. What’s special about using songs to highlight important scenes is that at the end of the film, the songs that still ring in the viewers' mind are the ones that are most important to the story. In contrast, after watching Umbrellas there isn’t going to be one song stuck in your head because the entire film is a song. Therefore, the music cannot be used to emphasize scenes but rather an emotion. This is important for the film because it is a rather sad love story. The ending of Top Hat is very joyous because the filmmakers wanted to show love in the same way one would show destiny. Two people destined to be together overcome obstacles and have a happy ending. Whereas, in Umbrellas, the two lovers seemed destined for each but then end up with other people and never get the chance to get back together. The message is that love doesn’t always work out and in real life, there isn’t a “Hollywood” ending.
ReplyDelete“Umbrellas of Cherbourg”, directed by Jacques Demy, is a radical version of a Hollywood musical that incorporates a different style and a plot much different to the Hollywood style. “Top Hat” is a musical that is categorized as the traditional Hollywood film which has singing throughout it, however; Demy’s movie sings every single line of dialogue. Even though one film has more singing then the other, it is not the dialogue that changes the film. The main difference between each film is how different their plots are on the idea of love. In the film “Top Hat”, Jerry Travers falls in love with Dale Tremont, who thinks he is a different man. Due to this confusion Travers’s lover, Tremont, doesn’t fall for him back. In the end she finds out that Travers is not Hardwick, which was the man she was confusing Travers for, and she ends up living happily ever after with him. The man getting the woman in the end is the typical style of Hollywood films. Although, “Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a much different scenario. At the start of the movie we meet a character named Guy and his girlfriend Genevieve. Guy ends up going to war to make money so he can support his girlfriend as they plan to marry. While he is away at the war we find out that he got Genevieve pregnant. Genevieve’s mother tells her that she needs a man to care for her children so Genevieve ends up falling in love with a different man. At the end of the movie we see Guy and Genevieve with their separate families, but despite being not seeing each other for a long time, they still have a connection between each other which will never work out. In “Umbrellas of Cherbourg” the perfect guy and perfect girl do not end up living happily ever after, even though they were meant to be. This drastically different view on a love story is what makes “Umbrellas of Cherbourg” a French new wave film and not a Hollywood movie.
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