"Umbrellas" is the middle film in an informal "romantic trilogy" of Demy films that share some of the same actors, characters and overall look; it comes after "Lola" (1961) and before "The Young Girls of Rochefort" (1967). The film was very successful in France, and was also shown internationally, introducing Deneuve to a larger audience. It was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Foreign Film, Best Song, Best Soundtrack, and Best Original Screenplay. It won three awards at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival, including its top prize, the Palme d'Or. Jim Ridley has called "Cherbourg" "the most affecting of movie musicals, and perhaps the fullest expression of [Demy's] career-long fascination with the entwining of real life, chance, and the bewitching artifice of cinematic illusion."