An American in Paris (1951)

Three friends struggle to find work in Paris. However, things become more complicated when two of them fall in love with the same woman.

Director:

Vincente Minnelli

Writers:

Alan Jay Lerner (story), Alan Jay Lerner (screenplay)

Stars:

Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant

Won 6 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gene Kelly	...	Jerry Mulligan
Leslie Caron	...	Lise Bouvier
Oscar Levant	...	Adam Cook
Georges Guétary	...	Henri Baurel (as Georges Guetary)
Nina Foch	...	Milo Roberts
The American In Paris Ballet	...	Ballet Dancers

Storyline

Jerry Mulligan, a struggling American painter in Paris, is "discovered" by an influential heiress with an interest in more than Jerry's art. Jerry in turn falls for Lise, a young French girl already engaged to a cabaret singer. Jerry jokes, sings and dances with his best friend, an acerbic would-be concert pianist, while romantic complications abound.

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Plot Keywords:

singer | painter | pianist | art | french | 

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Taglines:

What a joy! It's M-G-M's Technicolor musical!

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Genres:

Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

11 November 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ein Amerikaner in Paris

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,723,903 (estimated)

Gross:

$4,500,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Loew's

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gene Kelly discovered Leslie Caron while vacationing in Paris where he saw her perform in a ballet.

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Goofs

In the "By Strauss" waltz, Jerry is dancing with two ladies in the café, and his cap falls off while he is kneeling. He briefly attempts to retrieve it, then leaves it where it is.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jerry Mulligan: This is Paris, and I'm an American who lives here. My name is Jerry Mulligan, and I'm an ex G.I. In 1945 when the army told me to find my own job, I stayed on. And I'll tell you why: I'm a painter, and all my life that's all I've ever wanted to do.

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Connections

Featured in The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Story (1951)

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Soundtracks

"An American in Paris Ballet"
(uncredited)
Music by George Gershwin
Played during the opening credits and often in the score
Danced by Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, and ensemble
Played by The MGM Symphony Orchestra, in an arrangement by Conrad Salinger based on Gershwin's orchestration
Conducted by Johnny Green

User Reviews

A great film that's not aging well

Don't get me wrong: the musical numbers are still top rate. Watching Kelly dance anything from the tap on the sidewalks to the full blown ballet at the end is still very much a marvel to behold. But the story? Ehhhh... not so much.

Granted, plots in MGM musicals are pretty thin affairs anyway, little more than slight variations on their Broadway cousins (who, at the time, weren't anywhere near Shakespeare themselves!): stock formulae that involved a boy and a girl and a happy ending. But in American IN Paris, we're to somehow believe that Gene and Leslie are a perfect couple from their very first glance, even though it means trampling all over the feelings of the two people genuinely in love with these two (and Lord only knows why). Poor Nina Foch gets the worst of it: her storyline doesn't even get a proper resolution... and I'm not quite sure I hold to the idea that she wanted to make Kelly a "kept man": instead, she comes across as a woman who falls in love way too easily and has the cash on hand to help her man of the moment realize his own dream with little thought of her own. Certainly she gets twisted in all directions from the moment Kelly, spurned by Caron, shows up at her apartment, seemingly ready to accept her a "real woman"... only to discover that she's just a rebound relationship -- and we all know how well those work out, right? Meanwhile, the guy who's kept Caron's body and soul together comes across as the kind of nice guy that would do *anything* to keep his wife happy... even if it means giving her up for some schmuck he (and she!) barely knows. Again, we're looking at someone with a fierce sense of devotion and the means to create a perfect world for his intended... only to find out that she never really loved him like she said she did. I have little doubt that when his act finally *did* tour the States, it was a huge disaster, because it's difficult to sing something about a stairway to Paradise through a layer of bitter cynicism.

It's interesting that we have these parallel relationships, both set up along the same dynamics of one person totally in love and happy to lay out anything his/her partner wants, no matter the cost -- and that in both cases, the wealthy one, despite the integrity of his/her feelings, get dumped for a somewhat duplicious, deceitful little affair. Maybe, in some alternate MGM universe, these two unfortunate people found each other and got their own happy ending. I sure hope so.