Jacques Demy illuminates the TIFF Bell Lightbox

Starting this weekend and running until the 20^th of July is the latest retrospective series from TIFF’s cinematheque program, “Bitter/Sweet: The Joyous Cinema of Jacques Demy”. The classic and influential French director gets the full treatment here with a full retrospective of the director’s works along 3 films from his wife, Agnès Varda, and a sidebar series comprised of favorite films that inspired and enraptured Demy and helped form the basis for his own work. The series is entitled Bitter/Sweet because Demy ran the gamut of heart wrenching and breaking stories to the joyous and vibrant tributes to the Hollywood musicals he loved.

Jacques Demy Retrospective

Bitter/Sweet: The Joyous Cinema of Jacques Demy

June 27^th – July 20^th at the TIFF Bell Lightbox

The highlights from the series include the director’s first film “Lola” from 1961 which was shot in black in white , a stark contrast to the vibrant and oversaturation of color that became one of his trademarks, and shows the director starting to piece together his trademark style with characters spontaneously bursting into song along the way. Starring the stunning Anouk Aimée as Lola, a cabaret singer, the film hinted at what was to come with the music and iconic imagery infused into the film.

“The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” from 1964 is a tragic and melancholic look at love and everyday life that marks the director’s first collaboration with the incomparable Catherine Deneuve. Despite its slightly depressing tone, Umbrellas is considered by many to be Demy’s masterwork and was the first use of the meticulous color palate that would become his trademark. 1967’s “The Young Girls of Rochefort” is arguably Demy’s most upbeat piece and features Deneuve and real life sister Françoise Dorléac as sisters living in the seaside town of Rochefort also features a Oscar nominated score and terrific dance sequences from the legendary Gene Kelly and George Chakiris of “West Side Story” fame.

Other Demy films playing include “Bay of Angels”, “Model Shop” featuring the return of Aimée’s Lola, “Donkey Skin” also starring Deneuve, “Parking” and his swan song “Three Seats for the 26^th”. The side series ‘Paradise Regained: Demy’s Favourites’ features classics like “Singing in the Rain”, “An American in Paris” and “Pickpocket”.

For more information on the series and to buy tickets, visit the TIFF website.

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