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Gigi
1958
Set in Paris at the turn of the century, this delightful Lerner and Loewe musical, based on a story by Collette, follows a precocious French girl as she is groomed into a would-be courtesan, blossoming into a stunning woman. The story provides plenty of opportunity for Minnelli and MGM to pull out all the stops in its first .. Read more
| Starring | Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold |
|---|---|
| Director | Vincente Minnelli |
| Genres | Music/Musical |
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Gigi
Set in Paris at the turn of the century, this delightful Lerner and Loewe musical, based on a story by Collette, follows a precocious French girl as she is groomed into a would-be courtesan, blossoming into a stunning woman. The story provides plenty of opportunity for Minnelli and MGM to pull out all the stops in its first musical production shot on location.
| Starring | Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold, Eva Gabor, John Abbott, Isabel Jeans, Monique Van Vooren, Jacques Bergerac |
|---|---|
| Director | Vincente Minnelli |
| Studio | WARNER HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 50 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Music/Musical |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 02 Jun 2003 Production year: 1958 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (4)
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Rightful winner of nine Academy Awards (including best picture), this is the last great musical from genius producer Arthur Freed (Singin' in the Rain, Show Boat, An American in Paris). Freed coerced composers Lerner and Loewe into creating this screen original from Colette's tale following their sensational stage success with My Fair Lady. Superbly cast (Leslie Caron in the title role, Maurice Chevalier winning a special Oscar, Louis Jourdan), immaculately designed (for CinemaScope in Art Nouveau by Cecil Beaton) and impeccably directed by Vincente Minnelli, this is a sophisticated and entertaining musical treat. The story about the training of a young girl to become a courtesan is hardly the usual basis for a screen song-fest, but it's brilliantly and intelligently handled. The best sequences (the duet I Remember It Well and Gaston's soliloquy) were actually directed by the uncredited Charles Walters, who had previously guided Caron in Lili. There's a fine bittersweet air to this tale that leaves you longing to see it again — thank heaven for little girls like Gigi!
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Laundered and musicalized version of Collete's novel; delightfully set, costumed and performed, but oddly lacking dance numbers.
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Most helpful member's review
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10 out of 13 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Not as bad as I'd thought
I wasn't sure what to expect with this one: I love musicals, but Minnelli's overblown direction isn't always to my taste. Arthur Freed's guiding hand seems to moderate him here, though, and the acting's not bad: Caron has come on in leaps and bounds since 'An American In Paris', and is very engaging here. There are a few songs to hum to, but 'Lerner' & 'Loewe' are no 'Cole Porter', and there's an astonishing absence of dance, so it's not really my kind of musical.
Worth a couple of hours of your time if you like this sort of thing - the costumes were great, and the plot quite sweet and entertaining - but don't expect the full-blown musical treatment. And skip the bits with 'Maurice Chevalier' in! -
Most recent members' review
View all -
10 out of 13 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Not as bad as I'd thought
I wasn't sure what to expect with this one: I love musicals, but Minnelli's overblown direction isn't always to my taste. Arthur Freed's guiding hand seems to moderate him here, though, and the acting's not bad: Caron has come on in leaps and bounds since 'An American In Paris', and is very engaging here. There are a few songs to hum to, but 'Lerner' & 'Loewe' are no 'Cole Porter', and there's an astonishing absence of dance, so it's not really my kind of musical.
Worth a couple of hours of your time if you like this sort of thing - the costumes were great, and the plot quite sweet and entertaining - but don't expect the full-blown musical treatment. And skip the bits with 'Maurice Chevalier' in! -
News and features
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Caron to be honoured with a star
- 01 Dec 2009
Gigi star Leslie Caron is to be honoured with the 2,394th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The French movie legend will unveil the tribute next week (08Dec09). Her piece of pavement sits between the stars of her mentor Gene Kelly and Gigi co-star Louis Jordan. Caron was championed for the honour by Neal Baer, the executive producer of TV show Law and Order: SVU, for which the actress won a guest star Emmy in 2007. Read more
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Gigi
Set in Paris at the turn of the century, this delightful Lerner and Loewe musical, based on a story by Collette, follows a precocious French girl as she is groomed into a would-be courtesan, blossoming into a stunning woman. The story provides plenty of opportunity for Minnelli and MGM to pull out ...
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