An American in Paris.

Review #986: An American in Paris.

Cast: 
Gene Kelly (Jerry Mulligan), Leslie Caron (Lise Bouvier), Oscar Levant (Adam Cook), Georges Guétary (Henri "Hank" Baurel), Nina Foch (Milo Roberts), and Eugene Borden (Georges Mattieu) Directed by Vincente Minnelli (#405 - The Reluctant Debutante, #510 - Father of the Bride, #620 - Lust for Life, and #878 - The Long, Long Trailer)

Review: 
This was inspired by the 1928 orchestral composition of the same name by George Gershwin; I can't say I've done many movies based off a orchestral piece before, and I also can't say that they also have a 17-minute dance included as the climax either. In any case, this is a fine film, with a good amount of execution with its music and how it is shot. The music by Saul Chaplin and Johnny Green is fairly entertaining, but the biggest help to making all of the connections click is the things around it; the cinematography by John Alton and Alfred Gilks is top-notch, having a look that just syncs up with the mood; the costumes by Orry-Kelly, Walter Plunkett, and Irene Sharaff are also fine in giving the movie some fine flair. Admittedly, the plot is a bit thin in construction (with the kind of turns that you'd expect from a romance standpoint), but it manages to be enough of a showcase that it doesn't really drag the film too much. It isn't as great as something like Singin' in the Rain (released the following year), but both movie are good in their own right. Kelly is charismatic as ever, having the kind of charm and usefulness that one would expect from him, graceful in movement and stature. Caron, a dancer in her film debut, does alright, although she shines more in the dancing scenes than when sharing time onscreen with the plot, mainly because she doesn't really have chemistry with either Kelly or Guétary, although she at least has some screen presence. Guétary has some mild charm in the scenes that he is in. Levant is fine to watch, with his piano sequences being pretty entertaining. Foch is okay, although her scenes with Kelly don't really go anywhere too special in terms of appeal. The biggest highlight is probably the sequence at the end (lasting 17 minutes), being the ultimate showstopper spectacle for a film musical like this.

This movie won six Academy Awards, with wins for Best Production Design, Cinematography, Costume Design, Best Music Scoring of a Musical Picture, Original Screenplay, and Best Picture. In addition, Kelly received an Academy Honorary Award for "his versatility as an actor, singer, director and dancer, and specifically for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film", and it certainly seems fitting. He pulls in a tremendous performance that (along with all of the other things that shine in the movie) make for a great piece of entertainment that works in most of the right places, charm and all.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.