The Last Time I Saw Paris (C+ or 2/4 stars)
Based on a F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story, MGM's 'The Last Time I Saw Paris' (directed by Richard Brooks) is little more than a decently acted, glossy, Hollywood soap opera. Van Johnson plays reporter Charles Wills, who meets & falls in love with the beautiful Helen Ellsworth (Elizabeth Taylor). After a romantic courtship, they are soon married. Charles supports her with a low-paying job, devoting his nights to writing a novel. After many rejections, Charles decides to give up writing & live off the revenue of a Texas oil well in which he had invested. As he blows his newfound $$ on various comforts (including alcohol), he completely loses his drive to write. Worst yet, it seems that he is falling OUT of love with his loving wife; and his eye starts to roam elsewhere (towards Eva Gabor).
'The Last Time I Saw Paris' is a typically lush MGM film to watch. The Parisian locales are great to look at. The camera lensing is beautiful. The period production design is stellar (ranging from the early 1920s thru to the late 1940s). The costumes, as worn by Liz Taylor, Donna Reed, & Eva Gabor are lovely. Conrad Salinger's musical score impresses. That's all well & good. But the movie disappointed me (perhaps a lot of that has to do with the source material). This is one big downer of a movie. I almost can't understand why someone would want to write the story/read it/watch it unfold in a film. I mean look: woman falls for man, man falls for woman, man's career goes down the tubes, man starts drinking, man falls out of love with devastated woman, and a character dies tragically. How nice.
What got me through this morose tale is the look of the film & most of the performances. Elizabeth Taylor is stunning {duh}, but she also exudes such humanity & freshness as Helen. She's perky, mischievous & loveable. Van Johnson is a handsome guy & I typically like him, but whether it's the character I didn't care for or the actor's portrayal of him ... Charles just didn't work for me. He's self-destructive. He should never have let go of such a wonderful gal as Helen. And his behavior is just so boorish, for no good reason. Sure, he comes to his senses; but his turnaround comes a tad too late.
Now I quite liked Walter Pidgeon as Helen's madcap, $$-hungry father. He brought a little levity & honesty to the film. And Donna Reed strikes a melancholy chord as the woman who always carried a torch for Charles {ew, why? He's not worth it, haha}. So you see, 'The Last Time I Saw Paris' is not without strengths. There ARE quite a few (visuals, Liz Taylor, supporting characters). I just wish the source material had a little more going for it. The story is a tad trite. Some of the acting comes across as forced. And again, my main problem ... I just wish it weren't so sad. Thus, a C+/2 star rating is about all I can muster for it.
'The Last Time I Saw Paris' is a typically lush MGM film to watch. The Parisian locales are great to look at. The camera lensing is beautiful. The period production design is stellar (ranging from the early 1920s thru to the late 1940s). The costumes, as worn by Liz Taylor, Donna Reed, & Eva Gabor are lovely. Conrad Salinger's musical score impresses. That's all well & good. But the movie disappointed me (perhaps a lot of that has to do with the source material). This is one big downer of a movie. I almost can't understand why someone would want to write the story/read it/watch it unfold in a film. I mean look: woman falls for man, man falls for woman, man's career goes down the tubes, man starts drinking, man falls out of love with devastated woman, and a character dies tragically. How nice.
What got me through this morose tale is the look of the film & most of the performances. Elizabeth Taylor is stunning {duh}, but she also exudes such humanity & freshness as Helen. She's perky, mischievous & loveable. Van Johnson is a handsome guy & I typically like him, but whether it's the character I didn't care for or the actor's portrayal of him ... Charles just didn't work for me. He's self-destructive. He should never have let go of such a wonderful gal as Helen. And his behavior is just so boorish, for no good reason. Sure, he comes to his senses; but his turnaround comes a tad too late.
Now I quite liked Walter Pidgeon as Helen's madcap, $$-hungry father. He brought a little levity & honesty to the film. And Donna Reed strikes a melancholy chord as the woman who always carried a torch for Charles {ew, why? He's not worth it, haha}. So you see, 'The Last Time I Saw Paris' is not without strengths. There ARE quite a few (visuals, Liz Taylor, supporting characters). I just wish the source material had a little more going for it. The story is a tad trite. Some of the acting comes across as forced. And again, my main problem ... I just wish it weren't so sad. Thus, a C+/2 star rating is about all I can muster for it.