This series is an Aero Theatre Exclusive!

Few directors are as deserving of rediscovery as Jacques Demy - and few offer greater pleasures to the viewer lucky enough to make that discovery. A contemporary of Godard, Truffaut, and Chabrol, Demy eschewed politics and activism for sheer cinematic style: his best films, like THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT and THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG, are gorgeously designed musicals in the best Hollywood tradition. Yet Demy's reputation as a mere purveyor of escapism is undeserved; underneath his candy-colored surfaces lie one of the most authentic visions of post-WWII Paris ever committed to celluloid. Rather than use style to escape reality, Demy employs technique to elevate our comprehension of it - his movies are as reflective of their era as Godard's, regardless of the difference in approach. Enjoy some of Demy's most beloved classics, as well as the rarely screened and absolutely essential MODEL SHOP.

Friday, June 27 – 7:30 PM

Double Feature:

BAY OF ANGELS (LA BAIE DES ANGES), 1963, Cine Tamaris, 79 min. One of director Jacques Demy's darker and more melancholy efforts, his second feature (following his triumphant debut with LOLA) tells the story of a vacationing bank clerk (Claude Mann) who gets involved with compulsive gambler Jeanne Moreau. The characters are surrounded by lush settings - the film takes place against the backdrop of Nice casinos and beaches - yet the obsessive behavior and gray cinematography undercut the glamour at every ironic moment. Legend has it that Jacques Demy wrote the script for this classic in three days during a production delay on THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG! Michel Legrand’s music is haunting.

MODEL SHOP, 1969, Sony Repertory, 95 min. Dir. Jacques Demy. Gary Lockwood stars as a young American who falls in love with French model Anouk Aimée in this, Jacques Demy's only Hollywood studio feature (it was financed by Columbia). Aimee reprises her role as Lola from Demy's first film, but neither she nor Lockwood is the real star of MODEL SHOP: That honor goes to the city of Los Angeles itself, which Demy photographs with the same blend of wonder and authenticity that characterize his French films. This is no idealized version of Hollywood - it's an L.A. of supermarkets and parking lots - yet Demy's romantic eye gives a style and dignity to even the most mundane people and locations.

Saturday, June 28 - 7:30 PM

Double Feature:

THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT (LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT), 1967, Miramax, 120 min. Director Jacques Demy's love letter to American musicals, French cityscapes and romance in general is one of his greatest triumphs, and one of the most gloriously invigorating movies ever made. The movie tells intersecting stories of a number of young dreamers - among them are Catherine Deneuve, Françoise Dorléac and Danielle Darrieux - who continually miss meeting their ideal mates by mere city blocks - city blocks that are all authentic, as Demy matches realistic location shooting with sheer flights of musical fantasy. The entire film is an odd but entirely satisfying hybrid of dreams and reality, a motif perfectly expressed by Michel Legrand's score and Demy's typically precise color palette. An added bonus: Gene Kelly in some of the most delightful moments in musical history.