Françoise Dorléac

There is still the same cinematic playfulness, a combination of genuine skill, pervasive influence, and rampant passion for the medium itself, but with The Soft Skin, Truffaut slows things down somewhat, takes a breath, matures.

Gloriously composed — visually and aurally — The Young Girls of Rochefort is a lyrically light holiday to this provincial town, with its assortment of pleasant people having their fair share of romantic troubles. Moreover, it’s one of the best musicals the form has ever seen.