Gigi (1958)

Director:

Vincente Minnelli

Writers:

Colette (novel)
Alan Jay Lerner (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 August 1958 (Brazil)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

The First Lerner-Loewe Musical Since "My Fair Lady"

Plot:

Weary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship, but it may not stay platonic for long. |

Plot Keywords:

Cinemascope | Hidden Character | 1900s | Coming Of Age | France

Awards:

Won 9 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Leslie Caron	...	Gilberte aka 'Gigi'
Maurice Chevalier	...	Honoré Lachaille
Louis Jourdan	...	Gaston Lachaille
Hermione Gingold	...	Madame Alvarez
Eva Gabor	...	Liane d'Exelmans
Jacques Bergerac	...	Sandomir
Isabel Jeans	...	Aunt Alicia
John Abbott	...	Manuel
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pasha	...	White horse at Pré Catelan

Also Known As:

The Parisians (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Perspecta Stereo | 4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-3 (new rating: 2001) | Finland:K-7/5 (new rating: 1982) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Peru:PT | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Auberge de la Moutière - 14 Rue Moutière, Montfort-l'Amaury, Yvelines, France

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The duet "I Remember It Well" and Gaston's soliloquy were actually directed by an uncredited Charles Walters.

Goofs:

During Gaston's song by the pond thinking of Gigi, there is a fence in the pond forcing the swans to stay in close background. The swans, obviously confused yet undeterred, keep swimming into the fence attempting to get to the swan in deep background on the other side of the pond.

Quotes:

Aunt Alicia: Did you work hard in school today? What did you study?
Gigi: History. Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo.
Aunt Alicia: How depressing. What else?
Gigi: English.
Aunt Alicia: English? I suppose we must. They refuse to learn French.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Muppet Show: (#2.4)" (1977)

Soundtrack:

Gaston's Soliloquy

Simply delightful

Directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Leslie Caron as the title character, "Gigi" (1958) is nothing short of sweet and delightful. Gigi is a coltish teen in 1900's Paris who lives with her grandmother Madame Alvarez (Hermione Gingold) and who loves to hang out with family friend Gaston Lachaille (Louis Jourdan), an international jet-setter and playboy whose every relationship is documented in the papers. The pseudo-narrator of the film is Henri Lachaille (Maurice Chevalier), Gaston's uncle and a notorious playboy in his own right, who loves to give his nephew relationship advice, solicited or not. Gigi is being bred by her grandmother and aunt to become a refined woman so she can become a mistress for rich and powerful men, so it comes as both a surprise and delight to the women to discover that Gaston may be a suitable candidate. However, Gigi's innocence may not allow this to happen, as she struggles with making the transition between carefree girl to a refined lady with social responsibilities.

Musicals are a rare genre on my "films I adore" list, but "Gigi" has long been a favorite film of mine, despite its sappy moments and sometimes corny jokes. What makes "Gigi" such a good film is its unmitigated Charm with a capital "C"; one can't help but grin a little when Chevalier sings "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" because he doesn't stop flashing that high voltage smile himself. And I cannot get through the scene between Chevalier and Gingold when they sing "I Remember it Well" by the seaside without tearing up because it is just so damn cute. Sure, the revelations and epiphanies are pretty easy and kind of out of nowhere, but considering it is an MGM musical from the 1950's, I would be surprised if there weren't these kinds of things. Everyone in the film looks like they are having a good time (particularly Chevalier), and the great Lerner-Loewe music against the Parisian backdrop is enough to sell me.

"Gigi", while being a 10-time Oscar winner (including Best Picture) has unfortunately been marginalized by some as a typical MGM fluff piece, could be a hard sell, particularly to the jaded Generation Y - and - younger audience. However, since I myself am probably one of the most cynical film-viewers I personally know of, take my word for it – "Gigi" is a lot of fun, and a good way to spend two hours. 8/10 --Shelly