Title:
An American in Paris
Synopsis:
OSCAR WINNER - 1951
• Best Picture
• Best Cinematography - Color
• Best Costume Design - Color
• Best Production Design - Color
• Best Score, Musical/Comedy
• Best Story & Screenplay
AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE:
• 100 Years... 100 Movies (1998): #68
• 100 Years... 100 Passions (2002): #39
• 100 Years... 100 Songs (2004): "I Got Rhythm” - #32
WINNER OF SIX ACADEMY AWARDS!
"A ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 American classic!”
- Leonard Maltin and Roger Ebert
Garnering eight Oscar nominations, this sparkling multi-faceted musical went on to win 1951’s Best Picture, Best Score, Best Story & Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design. Also a special statuette "for brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film” was presented to Gene Kelly.
Kelly stars as Jerry Mulligan, a carefree young artist in post-WWII Paris. In her spectacular film debut, Leslie Caron is Lise Bourvier, a lonely French shopgirl engaged to marry a successful entertainer - unless Jerry can convince her otherwise! From their first on-screen meeting to the spectacular ballet finale, Kelly and Caron are superb. And in his role as Jerry’s best friend, pianist Oscar Levant keeps the action lively with his droll humor and acid wit.
Scripted by Alan Jay Lerner, directed by Vincente Minnelli and featuring the incomparable words and music of George and Ira Gershwin, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS is "one of the all-time great musical treats” (VIDEO REVIEW’S BEST ON HOME VIDEO).
SONG INDEX:
• Main Title
• By Strauss
• I Got Rhythm
• Tra-La-La
• Love is Here to Stay
• (I’ll Build a) Stairway to Paradise
• Concerto in F (3rd Movement)
• ’S Wonderful
• An American in Paris Ballet
• Finale
TRIVIA:
• No dialogue is spoken during the last 20 minutes of the film.
• The 17-minute dance finale sequence took a month to film. It cost half a million dollars.
• Leslie Caron had suffered from malnutrition during WWII and was not used to the rigorous schedule of filming a movie. Because she would tire so easily, she was only able to work every other day.
• Leslie Caron didn’t speak English when she landed the role of Lise. She had a vague understanding of the language due to having an American mother, but she was not conversant in English. Luckily for her, the part didn’t have many lines and was comprised of mostly dancing, a skill that Caron was highly fluent in.
• Gene Kelly discovered Leslie Caron while vacationing in Paris where he saw her perform in a ballet.
• A major reason Kelly suggested Caron as the leading lady was because he felt this film needed an authentic French girl playing Lise, not just an American actress playing one.
• Oscar Levantine, more of a pianist than an actor, signed onto this film because he had been friends with George Gershwin.
• This was Gene Kelly’s favorite of all his musicals.
• Producer Arthur Freed originally just wanted to buy the rights to the George Gershwin "An American in Paris” number, but Ira Gershwin, George’s brother, made the condition that he’d only sell if a musical were to use the piece, it would only use Gershwin numbers as its songs.
• At 38, Gene Kelly was 19 years older than his co-star Leslie Caron.
• Alan Jay Lerner began writing the screenplay in December 1949, and finished it in a 12-hour stretch in March 1950 on the night before his wedding to actress Nancy Olson.
• The ballet sequence was almost cut because the shooting was behind schedule, but MGM studio head Louis B Mayer stood with Arthur Freed, Vincente Minnelli and Gene Kelly in withholding the release of the film because they Mayer felt the film wouldn’t be effective without it.
• Film debut of Leslie Caron.
• Leslie Caron had never seen a Gene Kelly film and didn’t really know who he was when he arrived in Paris to make a screen test with her.
• Costume designer Irene Sharaff used 25 different shades of yellow for the Toulouse-Laurence segment of the ballet finale.
• Gene Kelly screened THE RED SHOES for the MGM executives to persuade them to finance a dance film.
• Fred Astaire was considered for the film but, as it had a slant towards ballet, Gene Kelly was the more obvious choice.
• With this project, Arthur Freed saw the chance to combine two of his personal favorites - the music of George Gershwin and French Impressionism.
• This was cinematographer John Alton’s first film in color, having built up a solid reputation for his b&w noir work.
• This film is the only Best Picture Oscar winner whose title begins with the word "An”.
• This film was selected to the National Film Registry, Library of Congress, in 1993.
• Oscar Levant and Gene Kelly both grew up in Pittsburgh. Kelly appeared in a Cap and Gown show at the University of Pittsburgh whose music was written by Oscar’s talented musical brother, Benjamin, who went on to become a urologist.
• The song "Stairway to Paradise” is the only number in the film presented as a show tune; the rest are all seamlessly incorporated into the story’s action.
• The 18-minute ballet has its own credit in the film’s opening titles ("And Presenting The American In Paris Ballet”).
• Best Picture
• Best Cinematography - Color
• Best Costume Design - Color
• Best Production Design - Color
• Best Score, Musical/Comedy
• Best Story & Screenplay
AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE:
• 100 Years... 100 Movies (1998): #68
• 100 Years... 100 Passions (2002): #39
• 100 Years... 100 Songs (2004): "I Got Rhythm” - #32
WINNER OF SIX ACADEMY AWARDS!
"A ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 American classic!”
- Leonard Maltin and Roger Ebert
Garnering eight Oscar nominations, this sparkling multi-faceted musical went on to win 1951’s Best Picture, Best Score, Best Story & Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design. Also a special statuette "for brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film” was presented to Gene Kelly.
Kelly stars as Jerry Mulligan, a carefree young artist in post-WWII Paris. In her spectacular film debut, Leslie Caron is Lise Bourvier, a lonely French shopgirl engaged to marry a successful entertainer - unless Jerry can convince her otherwise! From their first on-screen meeting to the spectacular ballet finale, Kelly and Caron are superb. And in his role as Jerry’s best friend, pianist Oscar Levant keeps the action lively with his droll humor and acid wit.
Scripted by Alan Jay Lerner, directed by Vincente Minnelli and featuring the incomparable words and music of George and Ira Gershwin, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS is "one of the all-time great musical treats” (VIDEO REVIEW’S BEST ON HOME VIDEO).
SONG INDEX:
• Main Title
• By Strauss
• I Got Rhythm
• Tra-La-La
• Love is Here to Stay
• (I’ll Build a) Stairway to Paradise
• Concerto in F (3rd Movement)
• ’S Wonderful
• An American in Paris Ballet
• Finale
TRIVIA:
• No dialogue is spoken during the last 20 minutes of the film.
• The 17-minute dance finale sequence took a month to film. It cost half a million dollars.
• Leslie Caron had suffered from malnutrition during WWII and was not used to the rigorous schedule of filming a movie. Because she would tire so easily, she was only able to work every other day.
• Leslie Caron didn’t speak English when she landed the role of Lise. She had a vague understanding of the language due to having an American mother, but she was not conversant in English. Luckily for her, the part didn’t have many lines and was comprised of mostly dancing, a skill that Caron was highly fluent in.
• Gene Kelly discovered Leslie Caron while vacationing in Paris where he saw her perform in a ballet.
• A major reason Kelly suggested Caron as the leading lady was because he felt this film needed an authentic French girl playing Lise, not just an American actress playing one.
• Oscar Levantine, more of a pianist than an actor, signed onto this film because he had been friends with George Gershwin.
• This was Gene Kelly’s favorite of all his musicals.
• Producer Arthur Freed originally just wanted to buy the rights to the George Gershwin "An American in Paris” number, but Ira Gershwin, George’s brother, made the condition that he’d only sell if a musical were to use the piece, it would only use Gershwin numbers as its songs.
• At 38, Gene Kelly was 19 years older than his co-star Leslie Caron.
• Alan Jay Lerner began writing the screenplay in December 1949, and finished it in a 12-hour stretch in March 1950 on the night before his wedding to actress Nancy Olson.
• The ballet sequence was almost cut because the shooting was behind schedule, but MGM studio head Louis B Mayer stood with Arthur Freed, Vincente Minnelli and Gene Kelly in withholding the release of the film because they Mayer felt the film wouldn’t be effective without it.
• Film debut of Leslie Caron.
• Leslie Caron had never seen a Gene Kelly film and didn’t really know who he was when he arrived in Paris to make a screen test with her.
• Costume designer Irene Sharaff used 25 different shades of yellow for the Toulouse-Laurence segment of the ballet finale.
• Gene Kelly screened THE RED SHOES for the MGM executives to persuade them to finance a dance film.
• Fred Astaire was considered for the film but, as it had a slant towards ballet, Gene Kelly was the more obvious choice.
• With this project, Arthur Freed saw the chance to combine two of his personal favorites - the music of George Gershwin and French Impressionism.
• This was cinematographer John Alton’s first film in color, having built up a solid reputation for his b&w noir work.
• This film is the only Best Picture Oscar winner whose title begins with the word "An”.
• This film was selected to the National Film Registry, Library of Congress, in 1993.
• Oscar Levant and Gene Kelly both grew up in Pittsburgh. Kelly appeared in a Cap and Gown show at the University of Pittsburgh whose music was written by Oscar’s talented musical brother, Benjamin, who went on to become a urologist.
• The song "Stairway to Paradise” is the only number in the film presented as a show tune; the rest are all seamlessly incorporated into the story’s action.
• The 18-minute ballet has its own credit in the film’s opening titles ("And Presenting The American In Paris Ballet”).
Format:
DVD-R
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Movie Release Year:
1951
Genre:
Classics
Romance
Romantic Comedy
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Show Type:
Movie
Original Aspect Ratio:
1.37:1
Actors:
Nina Foch
Gene Kelly
Leslie Caron
Oscar Levant
Georges Guetary
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Directors:
Vincente Minnelli
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Date Added:
2018-02-07 18:18:38
