varunc-38301
I really wanted to love this movie.I fell in love with musicals very recently. I watched La La Land and immediately got sucked into the genre. I realised that the movie was partly inspired by older musicals, such as Singin' in the Rain and An American in Paris.Singin' in the Rain is as good as musicals can get. It is the best two hours you can ever spend watching a movie. Gene Kelly is a treat. He is charming, funny, and a brilliant dancer. He displayed many of the same qualities in An American in Paris.But the story and his character, Gerry, feels very...off in this movie. Here's a few examples of what made it problematic for me:
How Gerry met Lise: The whole sequence felt distressing. He first stares at Lise for a long time (all while being with another woman already), making her uncomfortable. He's also being rude with the company he is with already, ignoring them and embarrassing Milo (the rich woman he came with) in front of her friends. Then he pulls her away from her friends to dance with him. Forcefully. She visibly does not enjoy a single moment of it. But she can't say no because she does not want to "make a scene" in front of people. She could not say no to his unwanted advances. She can't say no. Sounds familiar? That's because it is. After multiple aggressive attempts, he finally gets a date with her. And he's very touchy for someone who only met her days ago. They fall in love in classic musical style along the river in Paris, and it really should be a cute scene. But I could not help but feel that Gerry was pushing his behaviour quite far and that someone even slightly less attractive than Gene Kelly would have the police called on him. These are just examples. Sure, it's a movie from 1951. I get that this would be less troublesome when it first came out. But this felt like less of a problem in Singin' in the Rain, which does have its outdated features but still holds together over 60 years later.The positives is that the movie is splendidly choreographed and sung. The cinematography and Technicolor attempts to make you fall in love with Paris and it succeeds. The storytelling techniques are inventive and unique - particularly the opening, where each character narrates their own introduction and gives us a tour of Paris. The first thirty minutes of the movie was amazing. It's a shame that it started to decline as soon as the plot began.
weezeralfalfa
Finally got a DVD copy so I could see the whole thing. Strange that "Singing in the Rain" wasn't even nominated for Best Picture the following year, yet has since far overtaken this musical in popularity. Maybe, they just didn't want a Kelly-starring musical to win twice in a row? I too rate "Singing..." somewhat higher than this film, but I still am not shocked that it won Best Picture. Many people seem to see this film as a stepping stone toward "Singing...".Gene Kelly, of course, was the male lead, playing Jerry: a struggling 'young' American artist in Paris, having stayed in Paris after discharged from the army after the war was finished. He had 2 supporting actors:Oscar Levant played a 45y.o. 'young' struggling concert pianist, and friend of Jerry. One reason he was included was that he had been a friend of the deceased George Gershwin, whose music was being featured. He usually supplied a bit of light comedy, as well.Singer and actor Georges Guetary as Henri, was Kelly's rival for the romantic attention of the female lead: young Leslie Caron. She was 19 or 20 vs. the 38 or 36 of her 2 suitors, not an unusual age spread in Hollywood films. The following year, Debbie Reynolds, the same age, took her place in "Singing in the Rain". Leslie seemed like an ingénue pixie, who happened to be a very talented ballerina and all around dancer of the type Kelly was looking for. Apparently, Leslie did not yet know much English, which was one reason she didn't talk that much. However, her speech was clear. Leslie(as Lise) had somewhat of a romantic rival in Nina Foch(as Milo), who is characterized as a striking looking blond, a charming, rich, sophisticated American divorcée, a mere 10 years Kelly's junior. Clearly she was more attracted to Kelly than he was to her. She picked up struggling young artists and musicians as 'boy toys', in return, giving them financial or other assistance. Clearly ,the typical Hollywood formula was for Kelly's character to prefer the apparently naïve teenager over her shopworn older rival. The screenplay doesn't disappoint in this regard.Oscar has a curious segment by himself in which he clearly demonstrates his phenomenal piano playing in front of an orchestra, which seems to be made up of copies of himself, rather like the many images of Fred Astaire dancing, in one of his films.(I wonder what Oscar had been smoking??).Several times Kelly cavorts with some street kids, most notably when he sings and dances to "I Got Rhythm". We might wonder why Jerry can't make a living as a dancer, instead of struggling as a painter.Part of the comedy is that Jerry and Henri don't know they are dating the same girl. But Oscar, who knows them both well, does know this, and is sitting with them in a café, where each describes his girl.Kelly and Leslie don't do a show-type dance until well into the film, when they are romancing by the Seine , late in the evening. They sing and dance to "Our Love is Here to Stay". Henri's biggest stage moment comes when he sings "A Stairway to Paradise", while going up and down a stairway, on which a bevy of showgirls are descending, like goddesses from heaven.Leslie finally tells Jerry that she's going to marry Henri, although she loves him too. Jerry is very disappointed, and immediately arranged a date with Nina for a New Year's party.(Didn't look like winter to me!) Leslie and Henri also are at this party. Later, they drive off to get married, as Jerry waves a sad goodbye. But, a little while later, their car returns, while Kelly is still outside. Leslie pops out of the car, and guess what happens? Yes, pretty contrived.Before the New Year's party, Jerry had a very elaborate daydream: the 17 min. ballet. Unlike some reviewers, I enjoyed this. He dreams he is searching for Leslie, and finally finds her when she is dancing. Kelly had a solo ballet number in most of his later films. In some, such as this one and in "On the Town", he is lamenting his apparent loss of his new found love. In his subsequent films "Singing in the Rain", "Brigadoon", and "Always Fair Weather", his solo ballet serves to express his happiness in fining a new love, rather than his fear of losing such.Cyd Charisse was originally slated to take the role filled by Leslie, but a pregnancy nixed that plan. For her replacement, Kelly wanted a French girl who could do her style of dancing, and discovered Leslie.Director Vincent Minelli had or would later work with Kelly in the musicals "The Pirate" and "Brigadoon". Both these films had disappointing Box Office reception, but I enjoyed them.
Leofwine_draca
An American in Paris is in essence a showcase for top tier dancer Gene Kelly who is at his likable and athletic best in the movie. The setting is a lively Paris, full of colour and romance, and the plot is indeed romance-focused with Kelly contending with the affections of not one but two beautiful women. There's more to it than that, of course, as the plot draws in various strands such as painting, a love triangle, and Parisian nightlife, and it all comes together very well.Whenever I watch a Gene Kelly movie I always compared it to SINGING IN THE RAIN, which isn't just my favourite Kelly film but also my favourite musical, full stop. AN American IN Paris isn't quite as good as that film, but it is still very good and the song and dance numbers are quite remarkable. Kelly steals the show, of course, whether he's dancing in the streets or on top of a piano, and his tap-dancing interludes were my favourite moments of the film. The excellent Leslie Caron is another accomplished dancer who brings her ballet moves to the screen in a big way.The plot rolls along merrily and then disappears for the extended climax, which is one lengthy showpiece for various tunes and dancing, with George Gershwin the composer. I loved this section of the film; it's a pure celebration of the movie musical and serves as an unadulterated highlight of the film. Even if the slightly cheesy ending is a bit unbelievable, as a whole An American in Paris is a delight.
Sergeant_Tibbs
I haven't seen much from Gene Kelly, but I do know it's a shame the Academy couldn't have waited one more year to bestow him with awards for Singin' In The Rain instead of An American In Paris. The film isn't too bad to start with and it begins with some promise of wit and personality. They're never developed and it feels like all the characters outside of Gene Kelly are a waste - though I did enjoy a certain fantasy scene, as extraneous as it may be. There's so very little reasons to invest in these characters, their relationships and their problems. The songs leave a lot to be desired and are often bland and forgettable. It just drags on and on. Pretty sets and costumes do not maketh the movie. Perhaps it was acclaimed at the time due to post-war international relations, but they should've just bitten the bullet and given the Best Picture award to A Streetcar Named Desire or A Place In The Sun. Either would have been fine. This is just one 100 minute long flatline. I dread Gigi now, I just wasn't looking forward to it before.5/10
