A young woman separated from her lover by war faces a life-altering decision.
Director: Jacques Demy
Writer: Jacques Demy (scenario and dialogue).
Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo, Anne Vernon.
Plot
Part One: The Departure (November 1957)
Madame Emery and her beautiful 17-year-old daughter Geneviève (Catherine Deneuve) have a tiny, struggling umbrella boutique in the coastal town of Cherbourg in Normandy, France. Guy (Nino Castelnuovo) is a handsome young auto mechanic who lives with and cares for his sickly aunt and godmother Elise. Though Geneviève's mother (Anne Vernon) disapproves, Guy and Geneviève are deeply in love; they plan to marry and name their first child "Françoise". At the same time Madeleine (Ellen Farner), a quiet young woman who looks after Guy's aunt, is secretly in love with Guy.
Guy is drafted to serve in the Algerian War. The night before he leaves, he and Geneviève pledge their undying love and have sex, perhaps for the first time.
Part Two: The Absence (January 1958 – April 1958)
Geneviève learns she is pregnant and writes to Guy, but his replies are sporadic. Her mother tells her to give up on Guy – he has forgotten her. Geneviève is courted by Roland Cassard (Marc Michel), a kind, young, very wealthy Parisian jeweler; he wants to marry her despite her pregnancy. (In one of the connections among Demy's trilogy of films, Roland had previously unsuccessfully wooed the title character in the earlier Lola (1961); now he relates a version of this story to Madame Emery.) Madame Emery urges Geneviève to be sensible and choose a secure future with Roland. Geneviève marries Roland in a great cathedral, but she appears ambivalent about her decision.
Part Three: The Return (March 1959 – December 1963)
Returning injured from the war, Guy learns that Geneviève has married and left Cherbourg. He has difficulty readjusting to civilian life. After an argument with his boss he quits his job, goes drinking in a seedy bar, and spends the night with a prostitute. When he returns to his apartment, Madeleine tells him that his aunt Elise has died.
Guy sees that Madeleine loves him, and he rebuilds his life with her help. Using the inheritance from his aunt he opens a new "American-style" gas station. Madeleine agrees to marry him, though she wonders whether he is merely on the rebound after losing Geneviève.
Clasificación [ CM DVD 00334 ] Disponible en DVD, 4 Piso BJB)