Michel Legrand: The Film Composer Who Changed the World – Synopsis, Overview & Critiques Summary ~ The heart-stirring ‘certain action’ taken by the great musician in his life's culmination ~ [Recommended Film Spotlight]
I will wait for you (1964 Les parapluies de Cherbourg) Michel Legrand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaY6iWmQXS4
In his film, Jacques Demy tackles a wide range of important subjects in French society around 1960. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is one of the first films to address the Algerian War (1954-1962), a taboo subject in France. Jacques Demy places the Algerian war at the centre of Geneviève's misfortunes. Even if the war only appears implicitly, with Guy's departure, his letters and his return, it is still war that ultimately plays the leading role, determining the future of the two heroes. Very few French works give a place to this event, however significant in French history. The Algerian War is not explored in all its aspects, as it is not the primary subject of the film. Still, precise details are given, from the point of view of Guy, a French soldier: the long duration of military service, but also: « Last night a patrol was ambushed and three soldiers died » (the letter) – « A grenade attack was frequent » (the return) – « The sun and death travel together ».
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This article provides an overview, synopsis, and critique of ‘Michel Legrand: The Film Composer Who Changed the World’ (released 19 September 2025).
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‘Michel Legrand: The Film Musician Who Changed the World’ Synopsis & Overview
A documentary tracing the journey of film music maestro Michel Legrand and the behind-the-scenes story of his final performance.
Michel Legrand was a great jazz musician and a unique composer born in France. During his 75-year musical career, which ended with his passing on 26 January 2019, he created masterpieces in collaboration with director Jacques Demy, such as The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort. He was also active in Hollywood, working on films such as The Magnificent Gamble.
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This film traces Legrand's career and provides an intimate behind-the-scenes look at his final concert at the Philharmonie de Paris in December 2018. In addition to showing him in his later years, the film includes interviews with more than 45 musicians and film directors, including Sting and Claude Lelouch, as well as Legrand's family, revealing the unknown side of Legrand, including his uncompromising attitude towards himself and others, and the setbacks and suffering hidden behind his glory.
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Furthermore, it includes numerous personal archives: iconic scenes from over 30 films Legrand worked on, and footage of the young Legrand shot on a 16mm camera.
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Review: ‘Michel Legrand: The Film Composer Who Changed the World’
The profoundly moving ‘certain action’ a great musician takes in his life's culmination.
The life of one who loves music shines brightly. Those who relentlessly pursue beauty remain utterly pure. What sustains life? It is inspired by music and continues to create, sing, play, and write notes on staves, listening intently, waving the baton, and speaking to the audience through music. Sometimes, he even curses those around him. For the pure musician Michel Legrand, living meant continuing to “play”.
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The main narrative is packed with unmissable, symbolic episodes. Parting with his father, a musician who abandoned his family as if swapping sheet music and at age eleven, he entered a music school where he learnt the fundamentals of performance from a strict teacher, while simultaneously becoming captivated by jazz. Meeting figures who became surrogate fathers in the music world, then leading an orchestra bearing his name as an accompanist and arranger during a hectic period, only to quit arranging, realising he would die if he continued.
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In 1956, invited by Gene Kelly, he made his first trip to America, where he was introduced to luminaries of the film world. Upon returning, he rode the wave of the Nouvelle Vague into cinema. Following works by Agnès Varda and Jean-Luc Godard, he embarked on a world tour with his close friend Jacques Demy, promoting their outstanding collaboration, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964). His talent paved the way for a turning point in his life.
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Returning to Hollywood, he won his first Academy Award® for the theme song ‘The Wind's Whisper’ from Norman Jewison's film ‘The Way We Live Now’ (1968), a project he had worked on for some time. However, he did not attend the ceremony. After about three years of frenetic activity in Los Angeles, he developed depression and returned to France for treatment. Approaching the age of 40, he pondered deeply on ‘how he should live’.
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He moved to Le Havre in Normandy, overlooking the sea, and resumed his creative activities. In perfect health and without rushing, he composed at his own pace, working on everything from French films to Hollywood productions. After the release of The Donkey and the Princess in 1970, he won his second Academy Award® for Robert Mulligan's Summer of '42 (1971). Though invited to Hollywood, Legrand never stayed long. In 1983, he earned his third Oscar® for the collaboration with Barbra Streisand on Yentl (1983).
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‘Meeting Michel Legrand was a life-changing experience’ – Director David Herzog Desites grew up listening to ‘The Wind in the Willows’. They were profoundly affected by ‘Yentl’ when they saw it with their mother at age ten. In 2010, he resolved to make a film about the maestro, and seven years later secured an interview with him. When asked what kind of film he wanted to make about himself, Legrand replied, ‘Come along. I have plenty of ideas.’ Their first discussion lasted five hours.
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Michel Legrand: The Film Musician Who Changed the World (2024) opens with Legrand conducting before a packed audience and closes with his final performance at the Philharmonie de Paris in December 2018, a culmination of his life's work.
Calling himself a born composer and perpetually busy with work, he kept a piano and editing equipment in his bedroom. He was harder on himself than anyone else and offered no mercy in his criticism of others. Claude Lelouch, who commissioned the music for “Boléro of Love and Sorrow” (1981) in collaboration with Francis Lai, was always struck by Legrand's apologies after his tirades.
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Working closely with Legrand himself, the director felt he was ‘filming Michel Legrand's final testament’ as he meticulously selected footage from over 32 hours of material, interweaving it with clips from films, animations, and stage productions Legrand had composed for. This sentiment is underscored by the profoundly moving ‘certain action’ the great musician performs at the very moment he completes his final performance – a culmination of his life's work. This film, which became the maestro's final testament, possesses a profound richness that illuminates and enriches our own lives.
Michel Legrand: The Film Composer Who Changed the World – Synopsis, Overview & Critiques Summary ~ The heart-stirring ‘certain action’ taken by the great musician in his life's culmination ~ [Recommended Film Spotlight]
https://eiga.com/news/20250918/2/
"What we have forgotten..." The words conveyed by musical master Michel Legrand make us reflect on "immutability."
"Michel Legrand: The Film Composer Who Changed the World," a documentary about the master composer known for "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg," will be released on September 19th.
https://sirabee.com/2025/09/18/20163461119/
