An American in Paris-1951
Director Vincente Minnelli
Starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron
Scott’s Review #120
Reviewed July 19, 2014
Grade: B+
A classic film directed by Vincente Minnelli, An American in Paris is a musical from 1951, set in marvelous Paris- though to be fair, the entire film save for the opening scenes of Paris, is shot exclusively on a sound stage.
Gene Kelly stars as a struggling American artist named Jerry Mulligan, who lives in a quiet neighborhood, along with his best friend, Adam Cook.
Jerry optimistically sings and tap dances his way through life, befriending neighbors and school kids and spending time in the local cafe until he is finally noticed by wealthy art buyer Milo, played by Nina Foch.
This sets off a quadrangle when Jerry falls for youthful Lise (Leslie Caron), who is already dating a suave French singer, Georges Guetary.
An American in Paris is a cheerful, fantasy film. It is bright, colorful, and filled with musical numbers and dancing.
Highlights in this department are “’S Wonderful” and “I Got Rhythm”.
The brilliance of the film is the simply awesome 18-minute epic finale involving Gene Kelly’s ballet throughout Parisian sets of various artists. It is as innovative as anything in film history.
The drawback of the film is the lack of chemistry between Kelly and Caron, an aspect of the film I notice more and more with each passing viewing.
There is more chemistry between Kelly and Foch, who is meant to be the odd woman out, and I still find myself rooting for the two of them instead of the intended couple.
I do love how none of the four characters involved in the story is considered a villain, which adds to the merry feel of the film.
The predictable ending is wonderful and romantic.
An American in Paris won the 1951 Best Picture, Oscar, upsetting the heavily favored A Streetcar Named Desire.
Oscar Nominations: 6 wins-Best Motion Picture (won), Best Director-Vincente Minnelli, Best Story and Screenplay (won), Best Scoring of a Musical Picture (won), Best Art Direction, Color (won), Best Cinematography, Color (won), Best Costume Design, Color (won), Best Film Editing