---
title: "The Young Girls of Rochefort: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-young-girls-of-rochefort/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-young-girls-of-rochefort"
critics_score: 79
critics_reviews: 7
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 Young Girls of Rochefort (1967): what the critics said

Critics' score 79 from 7 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative.

Most critics greet The Young Girls of Rochefort warmly, with praise clustering around its colour, music and ease of movement. The reviews admire the pastel atmosphere and sunny, open-air production design, while Michel Legrand’s songs earn praise for their sweetness without becoming sugary. Several critics find its romantic escapism persuasive, and the musical numbers draw particular appreciation for growing naturally out of dialogue and bringing the townspeople into the action.

The spread runs from wholehearted enthusiasm to qualified pleasure, with one mixed assessment and no outright rejection. Radio Times supplies the clearest dissent: it enjoys the songs and spirited performances but finds the choreography disappointing after the opening number, leaving the film short of fully enchanting. That puts it at odds with reviews praising the dancing’s grace, while another reading notices desperation and militarism beneath the cheerful surface.

## Time Out — Keith Uhlich

Rating 5/5. 7 April 2014. 

Uhlich presents the film as a sublime musical masterpiece. He singles out the restored version’s eye-popping vibrancy.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-young-girls-of-rochefort)

## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson

Rating 4.5/5. 28 April 2017. 

Henderson argues that Demy’s follow-up surpasses The Umbrellas of Cherbourg in elevating ordinary lives into dreamlike cinema. He praises the film’s breezy confidence and sunny, open-air production design.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-young-girls-of-rochefort/)

## Empire — Patrick Peters

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 29 July 2009. 

Peters says the film remains an appealing blend of Hollywood musical and French New Wave. He praises its spontaneous musical numbers, which emerge directly from the dialogue and involve even the townspeople.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/les-demoiselles-de-rochefort-review/)

## The Guardian — Indigo Bailey

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 2023. 

Bailey finds the film an enchanting, deeply pleasurable musical whose romantic idealism makes its escapism compelling. The review especially praises its rippling choreography and pastel atmosphere, while noting an undercurrent of desperation and militarism.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/dec/06/the-young-girls-of-rochefort-jacques-demys-pastel-reverie-is-all-about-pleasure)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 August 1998. 

The critic presents the film as a warmly appealing revival. Its sunny French charm is singled out for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/14/movies/critic-s-choice-film-reviving-a-sunny-french-confection.html)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1966. 

The review finds the musical charming and graceful, with sustained human observation. It especially praises Legrand’s sweet, never-syrupy music and the deft choreography.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1966/film/reviews/les-demoiselles-de-rochefort-1200421327/)

## Radio Times — David Parkinson

Rating 3/5. 

Parkinson finds the musical charming in parts but says it fails to fully enchant. He praises Michel Legrand’s songs and the spirited performances, while criticizing the choreography beyond the opening number.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ay9izl/the-young-girls-of-rochefort/)

---
© 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-young-girls-of-rochefort.md