PMore than half a century after the film’s release, The Demoiselles de Rochefort are still on everyone’s mind in Charente-Maritime. However, as our colleagues from France Bleu tell, the emblematic musical was barely mentioned in the city of Rochefort, on a simple plaque at the Conservatoire. Since June 25, this absence has been filled in Rochefort, place Colbert: an imposing statue has just been inaugurated in homage to the Demoiselles.
The statue, which measures nearly three meters high, represents two silhouettes whose dresses, hats, hair and colors leave no doubt about the characters it evokes. No question, however, of finding Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac there, the faces being erased, anonymous.
Inauguration in the presence of François Hollande and Julie Gayet
The work was created by the artist Franck Ayroles, who immersed himself in Jacques Demy’s film before producing this tribute which was warmly and nostalgically welcomed by the inhabitants of Rochefort. “I spent evenings, weekends there,” he told France Bleu. Usually, it takes me eight months for such a work, but there was a schedule to respect. Maybe that was the only pressure I had. »
READ ALSOMichel Legrand: “I have the sacred fire, the music keeps me upright”
The statue was inaugurated on the occasion of the Twin Sisters festival, named in reference to the most famous of the songs in the film and which celebrates the links between music and image. This event was created by the actress Julie Gayet, present at the time of the inauguration in the company of the former President of the Republic François Hollande.