An American in Paris (1951)
Starring
Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron
Director
Vincente Minnelli
Awards
Academy Awards
Art Direction
Best Picture
Best Story and Screenplay - Alan
Jay Lerner
Cinematography - Alfred Gilks and
John Alton
Costume Design
Scoring - Johnny Green and Saul
Chaplin
Gene Kelly won a Honorary Academy
Award "in appreciation of his versatility as an actor, singer,
director and dancer,
and specifically for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film."
Acadmy Award Nominations
Best Director - Vincente
Minnelli
Plot Synopsis
Musical about a young G.I., Jerry Mulligan, who remains in Paris
after World War II to study art. Mulligan wants to live the life of the great painters,
holed up in a Montmartre garret, starving for his art. But the reality is less romantic
than the fantasy, so when a rich American gallery owner offers to support him, he agrees -
even if the bargain means joining her entourage of lovers. Then he meets Lise, a young
French girl, and instantly falls in love. Unfortunately, she's already engaged to Henri
Bourel, an older man who saved her from the Nazis. But when Henri discovers that she cares
for another, he gracefully exits, leaving the young couple to a life together.
Film Notes
"A GI (Gene Kelly) stays in Paris after the war to become an
artist, and has to choose between the patronage of a rich American woman (Nina Foch) and a
French gamine (Leslie Caron) engaged to an older man. The plot is mostly an excuse for
director Vincente Minnelli to pool his own extraordinary talent with those of
choreographer-dancer-actor Kelly and the artists behind the screenplay, art direction,
cinematography, and score, creating a rapturous musical not quite like anything else in
cinema. The final section of the film comprises a 17-minute dance sequence that took a
month to film and is breathtaking. Songs include S Wonderful, I Got Rhythm,
and Love Is Here to Stay." (Tom Keogh, Amazon.com )
Rated: NR
Rated: NR