11. Michel LegrandLes Parapluies de Cherbourg

Even though we have a passion for doing movie musicals, I don’t really like most movie musicals. One that I think is extraordinary is West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein with Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics. But in a general sense, I’m not a huge fan of musicals, even if I like the contrived nature of a musical with film. And so when we were first exposed to Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, it was done differently than most other things that I had seen at the time. There are songs, but it’s wall to wall music, even for trivial events. There’s a scene in a garage that’s treated in this very musical kind of way. It really made an impression on us. And I think it’s something we’ve been trying to emulate – not necessarily Michel Legrand’s music: anyone who’s seen Annette will know it’s 180 degrees from that – but just as far as the idea of music being used in ways that aren’t just the usual breaking into a song in a movie musical. And I think Les Parapluies de Cherbourg is the ultimate example of that. And Michel Legrand is just so extraordinary. Some of the songs are in situations that are so heartbreaking and he’s able to convey that through song. So I think that this film is a real inspiration to us – not that we’re trying to emulate that – but rather just in demonstrating what a movie musical can be.