The Young Girls Of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -... //top\\ Jun 2026

The secret power of is that it is a dangerous film. It asks you to lower your defenses. It asks you to believe that a stranger painting your portrait in a square might actually be your soulmate. The Criterion Collection has rescued this fragile miracle from the vinegar syndrome of decaying film stock.

On its surface, The Young Girls of Rochefort is simple. Twin sisters Delphine (Catherine Deneuve) and Solange (Françoise Dorléac) live in the sleepy port town of Rochefort. They teach music and dance, dreaming of escaping to Paris to find love and artistic success. Meanwhile, a American musician named Maxence (Jacques Perrin) has just been discharged from the army and is painting a portrait of his ideal woman in the town square. A traveling carnival showman, Guillaume (Michel Piccoli), and his former flame, Yvonne (Danielle Darrieux), run a nearby cafe. The Young Girls of Rochefort -1967- Criterion -...

Furthermore, the film features George Chakiris (of West Side Story fame) as the other lead dancer, and in a small role that hints at the darker undercurrents of the era, a young composer played by Michel Piccoli. The casting is a cinephile’s dream, creating a texture that feels lived-in and star-studded simultaneously. The secret power of is that it is a dangerous film

Documentary / Visual Essay (approx. 20–30 minutes) The Criterion Collection has rescued this fragile miracle