---
title: "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-umbrellas-of-cherbourg/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-umbrellas-of-cherbourg"
critics_score: 82
critics_reviews: 10
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964): what the critics said

Critics' score 82 from 10 reviews: 7 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative.

## Radio Times — Alan Jones

Rating 5/5. 

The review calls the film an enchanting, haunting love story that reaches dizzy romantic heights. It praises the vivid candy-coloured design and Catherine Deneuve’s ethereal performance.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-nneklj/the-umbrellas-of-cherbourg/)

## Empire — Kim Newman

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

Newman regards the film as pure cinematic magic, blending wistful romance with resigned cynicism. He praises the ravishing visual world and Michel Legrand’s memorable orchestration.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/umbrellas-cherbourg-review/)

## Sight and Sound — Elizabeth Sussex

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 February 1965. 

Sussex finds the musical spellbinding, praising its blend of sweetness and emotional sting. She especially singles out Michel Legrand’s haunting score and its interplay with the film’s vivid colour design.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/glimpse-perfection-imperfect-world-umbrellas-cherbourg-reviewed-february-1965)

## Slant Magazine — Bill Weber

Rating 4.5/5. 4 May 2025. 

Weber praises the UHD release as one of Criterion’s finest 4K presentations. He singles out its gorgeous transfer, especially the radiant pastel colors and natural detail.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-umbrellas-of-cherbourg-4k-uhd-blu-ray-review-jacques-demy/)

## The New Yorker — Terrence Rafferty

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 April 1996. 

Rafferty warmly praises the film as a beautiful, emotionally honest romance that has been unfairly dismissed as sentimental. He singles out its vivid colors, graceful camera movements, and Catherine Deneuve’s sensitive performance.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/04/15/the-past-recaptured)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2014. 

Turan finds the restored film as charming and delightful as ever, with a bittersweet emotional core. He praises its delicately restored visuals and the daring choice to sing every line of dialogue.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-umbrellas-cherbourg-review-story.html)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1963. 

The review finds the film touching and lovely, praising Demy for balancing emotion and compassion without becoming mawkish. It singles out Michel Legrand’s tuneful score, along with the bright sets and excellent color work.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1963/film/reviews/les-parapluies-de-cherbourg-1117793861/)

## RogerEbert.com

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page could not be accessed, so its critical verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint is visible in the supplied page.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-umbrellas-of-cherbourg-2004)

## Time Out — BW

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The critic’s verdict is unavailable because the article text is missing. No feature singled out for praise or complaint can be identified.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-umbrellas-of-cherbourg-les-parapluies-de-cherbourg-1964)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2019. 

Bradshaw is somewhat ambivalent about the film, warming to its charm while finding the score thin and repetitive. He singles out Deneuve’s subtly erotic sadness as the quality that keeps the film from becoming merely sugary.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/06/the-umbrellas-of-cherbourg-review-catherine-deneuve-jacques-demy)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-umbrellas-of-cherbourg.md