Gigi (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Gigi', directed by the great Vincente Minelli (Meet Me in St. Louis, Brigadoon, & Oscar-winning An American in Paris), is gorgeous, light-hearted, romantic, chock full of charming characters, & offers lovely music from the famous pairing of Lerner & Lowe; music that you'll likely be humming for days. In this story, set in Paris circa 1900, we are introduced to Gigi (Leslie Caron), a naive, tomboyish teenager being groomed by 2 Parisian courtesans, her loving grandmother & delightfully scheming great-aunt (Hermione Gingold, Isabel Jeans) to be a proper behaving paramour for wealthy & powerful young men, much like Gigi's longtime pal, Gaston Lachaille (a handsome Louis Jourdan). Now an adult, Gaston is rich, but spoiled & "bored" (great coinciding song) with Paris' social atmosphere.
He & Gigi have been mere friends for years. But her beauty starts to bud. And he finds himself falling in love with Gigi; even asking her to be his wife. This appalls her great-aunt; as no one in their family ever settled for anything as bourgeois as marriage {haha}. Weaving in & out of this tale is Honore Lachaille (Maurice Chevalier), an aging, but tireless boulevardier who tutors Gaston in the art of women & love. Years earlier, he himself had been in love with Gigi's grandmother. Drama, music, & romance ensue. The notion that the character of Gigi was little more than a good-girl mistress didn't sit all that well with Hollywood censors. But everything is buffered, smoothed-out & sweetened to make the notion more palatable. And the way the film treats its characters helps, too; we love them all.
Leslie Caron is delightful & spirited in the titular role. Hermione Gingold & Isabel Jeans perfectly personify the stuffy, but loving older ladies. Even though most people today would think old Honore's ideas of love to be antiquated, Maurice Chevalier brings such cheer, warmth & humanity to the role. Chevalier narrates the story, gets involved in the unfolding of the central affair & gets some great songs, including the wonderful Thank Heaven for Little Girls, I'm Glad I'm Not Young Any More, & his adorable duet with Gingold, I Remember it Well. Leslie Caron's best song is The Night They Invented Champagne. And Louis Jourdan gets to sing the title song. Filmed on location in Paris, 'Gigi' also looks fabulous; thanks to the elegant Parisian production design & Cecil Beaton's delicious costumes.
This film became a smash hit & even went on to win 9(!) Oscars, including Best Picture. It also represented the successful Hollywood comeback of Chevalier, who was 'forgiven' for his reputed collaboration with the Nazis during WWII - and he was bestowed an Honorary Oscar for his lengthy film career. So despite the film's questionable thematic material, the fun/mischievous songs, outfits, locales, & confectionery atmosphere carry the movie, along with the actors' overwhelming charms. Now, I wouldn't call 'Gigi' a masterpiece. There aren't any 'deep thoughts' going on in the screenplay -- that's for sure. It even has a less ambitious script than its twin sister, My Fair Lady - done by the same creative team. But I give this film an A-/3.5 stars because it does what it sets out to do so very well ... entertain.
He & Gigi have been mere friends for years. But her beauty starts to bud. And he finds himself falling in love with Gigi; even asking her to be his wife. This appalls her great-aunt; as no one in their family ever settled for anything as bourgeois as marriage {haha}. Weaving in & out of this tale is Honore Lachaille (Maurice Chevalier), an aging, but tireless boulevardier who tutors Gaston in the art of women & love. Years earlier, he himself had been in love with Gigi's grandmother. Drama, music, & romance ensue. The notion that the character of Gigi was little more than a good-girl mistress didn't sit all that well with Hollywood censors. But everything is buffered, smoothed-out & sweetened to make the notion more palatable. And the way the film treats its characters helps, too; we love them all.
Leslie Caron is delightful & spirited in the titular role. Hermione Gingold & Isabel Jeans perfectly personify the stuffy, but loving older ladies. Even though most people today would think old Honore's ideas of love to be antiquated, Maurice Chevalier brings such cheer, warmth & humanity to the role. Chevalier narrates the story, gets involved in the unfolding of the central affair & gets some great songs, including the wonderful Thank Heaven for Little Girls, I'm Glad I'm Not Young Any More, & his adorable duet with Gingold, I Remember it Well. Leslie Caron's best song is The Night They Invented Champagne. And Louis Jourdan gets to sing the title song. Filmed on location in Paris, 'Gigi' also looks fabulous; thanks to the elegant Parisian production design & Cecil Beaton's delicious costumes.
This film became a smash hit & even went on to win 9(!) Oscars, including Best Picture. It also represented the successful Hollywood comeback of Chevalier, who was 'forgiven' for his reputed collaboration with the Nazis during WWII - and he was bestowed an Honorary Oscar for his lengthy film career. So despite the film's questionable thematic material, the fun/mischievous songs, outfits, locales, & confectionery atmosphere carry the movie, along with the actors' overwhelming charms. Now, I wouldn't call 'Gigi' a masterpiece. There aren't any 'deep thoughts' going on in the screenplay -- that's for sure. It even has a less ambitious script than its twin sister, My Fair Lady - done by the same creative team. But I give this film an A-/3.5 stars because it does what it sets out to do so very well ... entertain.