I Will Wait For You
Song of the Day 08/24/2022
Je ne pourrai jamais vivre sans toi by Michel Le Grand
I Will Wait For You by Michel Le Grand (sung by Connie Francis)
I Will Wait For You by Michel Le Grand (sung by Trini Lopez)
This is the lead song from Umbrellas of Cherbourg, I suppose my favorite musical of all time, composed by Michel Legrand, probably my favorite conductor, which I can say means a small modicum of something, considering I come from a family who works in musicals, considering I grew up surrounded by them, ingrained in all their indelible treachery.
Umbrellas of Cherbourg (which influenced La La Land) is the movie musical that will scare anyone out of the idea of entering into a long-distance relationship. The song of the film is tragically titled I Will Wait For You, which is exactly what Catherine Deneuve’s character, Geneviève (the four-syllable pronunciation) doesn’t do, or due to familial circumstance, is not able to do while the love of her life, Guy, is serving against his best interest in the Algerian war.
While Guy is enlisted, the lovers spend a great amount of time apart, unable to communicate on a regular cadence. Geneviève learns that she’s pregnant. She writes Guy to tell him the news, which at the time is filled with both sorrow and joy. He receives the letter after some time but is too slow to respond. Alone and broke, Geneviève is courted by a good-willed yet somewhat boring and conventional Parisian jeweler named Roland Cassard. He promises to take care of Geneviève and her family, and even more so, is keen on marrying her despite the bastard in her belly. The two marry lavishly while Guy is in the trenches. And you can’t really blame Geneviève. Was she supposed to raise a child with no money, no certainty in the future? For what if Guy wasn’t interested anymore upon returning home from war, or has been turned gay, which is always possible. With Roland, her future is secure, though also quotidian, boring. A gentle confrontation takes place between Geneviève and Guy at the very end of the film, though since you may not have seen it, I won’t ruin it for you; in its overtly elegant dramaticism, it’s one of the greatest scenes in all of cinema.
For some reason, Umbrellas of Cherbourg has become a Christmas movie. Someone must have decided, probably rightly so, that this movie plays best around the holiday season, the twilight of the year. I understand the logic: the movie doesn't work during summer or autumn, it's too morose, too filled with the idea of fate defining our lives, destroying our hope. But if you’re anything like me, you’ll enjoy this movie on any day of any season—that I can promise.
The song, like all popular music, was eventually recorded in English by everyone and their mother. It's best sung by Connie Francis, the Trini Lopez version not bad either.