Jacques Demy
Warm up your pipes and put on your dancing shoes, because this month’s staff inquiry…
Camp films are delightful, and demonstrate the range of ways in which a movie can leave a noteworthy impact on an audience. But what exactly is camp?
In our latest collaboration, we discuss cinematic worlds we want to live in, ranging from John Ford’s Westerns to Jacques Demy’s musicals.
In our latest beginner’s guide, we take a run-down through the films of Jacques Demy, a French director who triumphed in the musical genre.
La La Land was one of last year’s big hits, and if you’ve read much about it, you’ve probably heard Jacques Demy cited as an influence. And he should be – not for nothing does the word “parapluies” appear near the place where La La Land’s main character works, a direct shout-out to the French title of Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Of course, it would be a mistake to put too much emphasis on him when La La Land draws on plenty of other influences, including various strains of American musical, Nicholas Ray, Powell and Pressburger, and maybe even Alfred Hitchc*ck.
