The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Richard Brooks

Writers:

F. Scott Fitzgerald (story)
Julius J. Epstein (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 April 1955 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Charles returns to Paris to reminisce about the life he led in Paris after it was liberated. He worked...

Plot Keywords:

Paris | Father Daughter Relationship | Self Destruction | Rejection | Author

Cast

Elizabeth Taylor	...	Helen Ellswirth / Wills
Van Johnson	...	Charles Wills
Walter Pidgeon	...	James Ellswirth
Donna Reed	...	Marion Ellswirth / Matine
Eva Gabor	...	Mrs. Lorraine Quarl
Kurt Kasznar	...	Maurice (owner, Cafe Dhingo)
George Dolenz	...	Claude Matine
Roger Moore	...	Paul Lane (tennis pro)
Sandy Descher	...	Vicki Wills
Celia Lovsky	...	Mama Janette
Peter Leeds	...	Barney (Europa News Service reporter)
John Doucette	...	Campbell (Europa News Service)
Odette Myrtil	...	Singer (as Odette)

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Portugal:M/12 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (video rating) (1997) | USA:Approved (PCA #17124, General Audience)

Filming Locations:

Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

This is one of a handful of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer productions of the early 1950s whose original copyrights were never renewed and are now apparently in Public Domain; for this reason this title is now offered, often in very inferior copies, at bargain prices, by numerous VHS and DVD distributors who do not normally handle copyrighted or Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer material.

Goofs:

Continuity: Near the end of the film, when Helen is wearing the red dress, Charlie comes home drunk and puts the chain on the door. The chain is a lot longer than a normal door chain, at least 12 inches. When Helen comes home later and tries to get in, the chain is now much shorter. It's now the length of a normal door chain.

Quotes:

Helen Ellswirth: I've been having a bad day for a year now, maybe it's time to grow up.
Charles Wills: It's too late to grow up.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Hollywood Legends: Elizabeth Taylor and Shirley Temple (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Last Time I Saw Paris

Tragic and beautiful, Paris is my favorite city

and this film, while dated, captures some of its aura. I am saddened as I write this, realizing a no-talent celebrity has marred the name "Paris" in America, but perhaps Americans will soon come to their senses.

But I digress. Other reviewers have analyzed Ms. Taylor's performance, and she does quite well; her father is portrayed by Walter Pigeon as a shallow lothario, Donna Reed is the angelic sister, and Van Johnson the writer/husband. While I agree with a previous review that the persona of F. Scott Fitgerald is not completely manifested, Johnson does a good job of being a conflicted writer, loves his wife, but needs more, eventually spiraling downward into alcoholism.

One scene with their young daughter is particularly touching, she is on a merry-go-round in the park, near the Seine, it is cold, Johnson is trying to reconcile with Elizabeth Taylor; He will change, he will stop drinking, he will redeem himself;(he promises, to no avail).

The hope and sadness are projected on screen. The moods and cinemascope coloring from 1954 are classic. We do not see such subtlety today. The incidental music is also haunting. Highly recommended, especially if you love Paris.