Lili (1953)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Charles Walters

Writers:

Paul Gallico (story)
Helen Deutsch (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 September 1953 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

You'll fall in love with...

Plot:

Members of a circus troupe "adopt" Lili Daurier when she finds herself stranded in a strange town. The...

Plot Keywords:

Puppet | Carnival | Circus | Puppeteer | Singing

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Leslie Caron	...	Lili Daurier
Mel Ferrer	...	Paul Berthalet
Jean-Pierre Aumont	...	Marc (as Jean Pierre Aumont)
Zsa Zsa Gabor	...	Rosalie
Kurt Kasznar	...	Jacquot
Amanda Blake	...	Peach Lips (red-haired dame)
Alex Gerry	...	Store proprietor
Ralph Dumke	...	M. Corvier (cabaret and restaurant manager)
Wilton Graff	...	M. Tonit (theatre agent)
George Baxter	...	M. Enrique (theatre agent)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:G (re-rating) (1973) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #15985)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The earliest known appearance of the "smiley" emoticon, :-), was in an ad for this film in the New York Herald Tribune on 10 March 1953, page 20, columns 4-6. The film opened nationwide, and this ad possibly ran in many newspapers. It read: Today You'll laugh :-) You'll cry :-( You'll love <3 'Lili'" This should not be confused with the graphical yellow "smiley face", which was first drawn by Harvey Ball some 10 years later.

Quotes:

Jacquot: What the devil is the matter with you? You're in love with the girl and she's in love with someone else. This sort of thing happens all the time; people don't *die* of love. You'll recover... But meanwhile can't you be civilized about it?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Errand Boy (1961)

Soundtrack:

Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo

an absolutely enchanting musical

"Lili" is one of the sweetest, most enchanting musicals Hollywood has ever produced. Not that most of the Hollywood musicals are ever realistic, but this particular story is more of a fable than an imitation of life. The character of Mel Ferrer is reminiscent of the Beast in "the Beauty and the Beast", a tortured soul aching for love, and as any girl worth her salt would know, tortured souls make the best kind of heroes!

The two dance/fantasy sequences are charming, especially the latter one, where Lili grows from an awkward, love-sick child into a woman of character and determination, all in a few steps of waltz. Oh, and the puppets are totally adorable!!