Jacques Demy’s candy-colored, enchantingly romantic musical THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG may not seem like an obvious pairing with a fast-and-furious swordplay spectacular filled with glinting blades and bloody vengeance. Nevertheless, LAST HURRAH FOR CHIVALRY’s director, John Woo, counts the swooningly stylized French classic—which gave Catherine Deneuve her star-making role—as a personal favorite, and indeed the two share more than meets the eye in both their themes and visual tropes. In a new introduction filmed for the Criterion Channel, author and New York Asian Film Festival cofounder Grady Hendrix unpacks the surprising affinities that unite these films across the boundaries of genre.
Directed by John Woo • 1979 • Hong Kong
Starring Damian Lau, Wei Pai
With this tale of two swordsmen who team up on a mission of revenge, John Woo attempted to revive the moribund wuxia genre. A flop at the time of its release, this early work has since been recognized as an artistic breakthr...
Directed by Jacques Demy • 1964 • France
Starring Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo
The angelically beautiful Catherine Deneuve was launched to stardom by this dazzling musical heart-tugger from Jacques Demy. She plays an umbrella-shop owner’s delicate daughter, glowing with first love for a h...