Production Company: MGM
"Back home everyone said I didn't have any talent. They might be saying the same thing over here but it sounds better in French." - Jerry Mulligan
Setting
Paris, France
The Plot
Like it says on the tin, it's about an American in Paris. Bet you're glad I'm here to tell you that! Struggling artist Jerry Mulligan [Kelly] is trying to make it in the City of Lights where he seems to be more popular than his paintings. Throw in some funky moves, catchy songs and the much-required Triangle d'Amour and *bam* you got yourself a movie!
The Review
The film was a fun, if not slightly surreal, glimpse of post-WW2 Paris through the eyes of expat Americans.
Gene Kelly had fans the world over, he being one of them based on the lengthy Kelly-centric dance sequences! Leslie Caron nailed it as Kelly's dance partner, complementing each other beautifully throughout the sassy and comical sequences. The introduction of Lise [Caron] was by way of a fun and entertaining sequence of her dancing in various ways as her beau Henri [Georges Guétary] described her various character aspects, a creative way of introducing a character I thought.
The lengthy dance sequences occasionally detracted from the main storyline and I'd forgotten what was going on by the time they ended; later as a director of future films such as Singin' in the Rain, Gene Kelly was always adamant that dance/song sequences should always be telling the story and not just inserted, something he may have learnt from this film.
The characters were all entertaining to watch as they worked with each other to laugh, love and dance their way through the story and keep me entertained until the end. Milo [Nina Foch] loves Jerry, Jerry loves Lise, Lise is engaged to Henri...oh this is going to be a fun one to figure out!
The ending, I felt, was too convenient and annoyingly had too many loose ends (*groan).
From the amusing and enjoyable 'I Got Rhythm' to the more intimate 'Embraceable You', it was visually spectacular and fun to watch. French language references in song and dialogue would have made more sense to the audience of the day, since I gather it was a subject most would have been taught at school...Jerry's habit of popping English words in when his French runs out was also one of my old high school traits!
It was, overall, a cheerful escape and a lot of fun. The dance numbers may have dragged on to hammer home Gene Kelly's talents but hey...it had rhythm, it had music, who could ask for anything more?
The Slap
Gene Kelly had fans the world over, he being one of them based on the lengthy Kelly-centric dance sequences! Leslie Caron nailed it as Kelly's dance partner, complementing each other beautifully throughout the sassy and comical sequences. The introduction of Lise [Caron] was by way of a fun and entertaining sequence of her dancing in various ways as her beau Henri [Georges Guétary] described her various character aspects, a creative way of introducing a character I thought.
The lengthy dance sequences occasionally detracted from the main storyline and I'd forgotten what was going on by the time they ended; later as a director of future films such as Singin' in the Rain, Gene Kelly was always adamant that dance/song sequences should always be telling the story and not just inserted, something he may have learnt from this film.
The characters were all entertaining to watch as they worked with each other to laugh, love and dance their way through the story and keep me entertained until the end. Milo [Nina Foch] loves Jerry, Jerry loves Lise, Lise is engaged to Henri...oh this is going to be a fun one to figure out!
The ending, I felt, was too convenient and annoyingly had too many loose ends (*groan).
From the amusing and enjoyable 'I Got Rhythm' to the more intimate 'Embraceable You', it was visually spectacular and fun to watch. French language references in song and dialogue would have made more sense to the audience of the day, since I gather it was a subject most would have been taught at school...Jerry's habit of popping English words in when his French runs out was also one of my old high school traits!
It was, overall, a cheerful escape and a lot of fun. The dance numbers may have dragged on to hammer home Gene Kelly's talents but hey...it had rhythm, it had music, who could ask for anything more?
The Slap
All characters were so sickeningly nice, I'm awarding the Slap to the character who performed the most selfless act, Henri Baurel.
No comments:
Post a Comment