Funny Face (1957)

Director:

Stanley Donen

Writer:

Leonard Gershe (written by)

Release Date:

13 February 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

Presented in a Real New Dimension in Motion Picture Entertainment.

Plot:

An impromptu fashion shoot at a book store brings about a new fashion model discovery in the shop clerk.

Plot Keywords:

Fashion | Photographer | Fashion Magazine | Model | Magazine

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Audrey Hepburn	...	Jo Stockton
Fred Astaire	...	Dick Avery
Kay Thompson	...	Maggie Prescott
Michel Auclair	...	Prof. Emile Flostre
Robert Flemyng	...	Paul Duval
Dovima	...	Marion
Suzy Parker	...	Specialty Dancer (Think Pink Number)
Sunny Hartnett	...	Specialty Dancer (Think Pink Number)
Jean Del Val	...	Hairdresser
Virginia Gibson	...	Babs
Sue England	...	Laura
Ruta Lee	...	Lettie
Alex Gerry	...	Dovitch
Iphigenie Castiglioni	...	Armande
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Geneviève Aumont	...	French Actress (uncredited)
Fern Barry	...	Southern Wife (uncredited)
Paul Bisciglia	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Nesdon Booth	...	Southern Man (uncredited)
Nina Borget	...	Assistant Hairdresser (uncredited)
Jan Bradley	...	Crying Girl (uncredited)
Peter Camlin	...	Male Buyer (uncredited)
Jack Chefe	...	Frenchman at Flostre's Party (uncredited)
Jerry Chiat	...	Man on Head (uncredited)
Gabriel Curtiz	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Albert D'Arno	...	Beautician (uncredited)
Marcel De la Brosse	...	Seedy Man (uncredited)
George Dee	...	Seedy Man (uncredited)
Diane DuBois	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Carole Eastman	...	Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
Roger Edens	...	Sidewalk Cafe Patron (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Guest at Duval's Fashion Show (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Woman at Duval's Fashion Show (uncredited)
Louise Glenn	...	Junior Editor (uncredited)
Albert Godderis	...	Seedy Man (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Guest at Aborted Fashion Show (uncredited)
Heather Hopper	...	Junior Editor (uncredited)
Bruce Hoy	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Guest at Aborted Fashion Show (uncredited)
Nancy Kilgas	...	Melissa (uncredited)
Donald Lawton	...	Airport Clerk (uncredited)
Jerry Lucas	...	Bruiser (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Guest at Aborted Fashion Show (uncredited)
Forbes Murray	...	Man at Duval's Fashion Show (uncredited)
Karine Nordman	...	French Girl (uncredited)
Elsa Peterson	...	Female Buyer (uncredited)
Don Powell	...	Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
Cecile Rogers	...	Junior Editor (uncredited)
Karen Scott	...	Gigi (uncredited)
Elizabeth Slifer	...	Madame La Farge (uncredited)
Paul Smith	...	Steve (uncredited)
Emilie Stevens	...	Assistant Beautician (uncredited)
Baroness Ella Van Heemstra	...	Sidewalk Cafe Patron (uncredited)
Marilyn White	...	Receptionist (uncredited)
Dorothea Wolbert	...	Minor Role (uncredited)

Directed by
Stanley Donen

Writing credits
Leonard Gershe		(written by)

Produced by
Roger Edens	....	producer

Cinematography by
Ray June		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Frank Bracht

Casting by
Gary Fifield		(uncredited)
Bill Greenwald		(uncredited)
Edward R. Morse		(uncredited)
Tony Regan		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
George W. Davis
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Ray Moyer

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Nellie Manley	....	hair style supervisor
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor
Dean Cole	....	hairdresser (uncredited)
Robert Dawn	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Frank McCoy	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Frank Caffey	....	production manager (uncredited)
Harry Caplan	....	unit production manager (uncredited)
Curtis Mick	....	assistant production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William McGarry	....	assistant director
Mecca Graham	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Al Mann	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Nat Merman	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
John Francis Murphy	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Gary Nelson	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Bob Adams	....	stand-by laborer (uncredited)
Joe Cowan	....	leadman (uncredited)
Dorothea Holt	....	illustrator (uncredited)
Robert McCrellis	....	props (uncredited)
Tom Plews	....	props (uncredited)
Barnard Schoefelt	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
George Leverett	....	sound recordist
Winston H. Leverett	....	sound recordist (as Winston Leverett)
Spurgeon Marsh	....	sound mixer (uncredited)
Bill Wistrom	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography
John P. Fulton	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Bill Avery	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Howard Kelly	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Joe Schuster	....	best boy (uncredited)
Mike Semenario	....	grip (uncredited)
Roger Shearman	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Charles Sickler	....	company grip (uncredited)
Paul Uhl	....	camera technician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Tish Morgan	....	secretary to casting director (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Hubert de Givenchy	....	wardrobe: Miss Hepburn, Paris
Joan Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)
Dario Piazza	....	wardrobe: men (uncredited)
Leah Rhodes	....	associate designer (uncredited)
Ruth Stella	....	wardrobe: ladies (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Marvin I. Kosberg	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Alexander Courage	....	orchestrator
Adolph Deutsch	....	conductor
Adolph Deutsch	....	music adaptor
Stanley Donen	....	song staging
Roger Edens	....	composer: additional music
Skip Martin	....	orchestrator
Conrad Salinger	....	orchestrator
Van Cleave	....	orchestrator
Alexander Courage	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Al Mack	....	musician: piano (uncredited)
Walter Ruick	....	musician: piano (uncredited)
Kay Thompson	....	vocal arranger (uncredited)
Van Cleave	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Other crew
Fred Astaire	....	choreographer
Richard Avedon	....	main title backgrounds
Richard Avedon	....	special visual consultant
Eugene Loring	....	choreographer
Richard Mueller	....	technicolor color consultant
Ruth Ames	....	secretary: Mr. Donen (uncredited)
Françoise Bouchez	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Jeanne Coyne	....	assistant dance director (uncredited)
Patricia Denise	....	assistant dance director (uncredited)
Jack Hirshberg	....	publicist (uncredited)
Belva Lannan	....	secretary: Mr. Edens (uncredited)
Sam Ledner	....	dance coordinator (uncredited)
Dave Robel	....	assistant dance director (uncredited)
Dorothy Yutzi	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1957) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1965) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Paramount Home Video (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (special edition)
• Paramount Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD) (50th anniversary edition)
• CIC Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• CIC-Taft Home Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• Paramount Filmes do Brasil (Brazil) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) | Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:K-16 | Finland:S (1966) | UK:U | USA:Unrated | West Germany:6 | Peru:PT | France:Unrated | Spain:13 | Netherlands:AL | Ireland:G | Italy:T

Filming Locations:

Chantilly, Oise, France

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Fred Astaire also starred in the original 1927 Broadway version of "Funny Face" with his sister Adele Astaire. However, the storylines of the play and movie are entirely different; the film only uses some of the play's songs. Coincidentally, the exact same thing had occurred earlier with The Band Wagon (1953), which had also starred both Astaire and his sister on Broadway in 1931; the film had a different storyline but used some of the play's songs. The only opportunity Astaire had to recreate a role he originated on Broadway was in The Gay Divorcee (1934), from Broadway's "Gay Divorce".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: After Dick kisses Jo and leaves the bookstore, Jo begins to sing "How Long Has This Been Going On". As she sings to herself while looking at the mirror in the supposedly empty bookstore, you can clearly see someone moving around on the second floor of the bookstore reflected in the mirror.

Quotes:

Maggie Prescott:The Quality Woman must have grace, elegance and bozazz.
Dick Avery:Every girl on every page of Quality has grace, elegance, and bozazz. Now, what's wrong with bringing out a girl who has character, spirit, and intelligence?
Dovitch:That certainly would be novel in a fashion magazine.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Starz Inside: Fashion in Film (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

How Long Has This Been Going On?

The Bird of Paradise

This is a rare bird indeed, a Hollywood musical that succeeds as parody as well as musical entertainment, featuring the best song and dance man of all time, Fred Astaire, and the Hollywood establishment darling, Audrey Hepburn, who was always magnificent despite being pampered and fawned over by the media moguls. Unlike Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire's dancing seemed natural. Astaire spent as much time learning his steps as Kelly, but the viewer always got the idea that Kelly had learned the steps whereas Astaire appeared to be inventing as he shuffled along. Astaire's early movies were made during the age of the crooner, yet his singing could not be pigeonholed into that category. Like his dancing, his singing flowed naturally and freely.

The story to "Funny Face" is a simple one, a musical variation on Shaw's Pigmalion which was already a hit musical "My Fair Lady," turned into another Audrey Hepburn vehicle a few years after "Funny Face." What makes this movie stand out is the spellbinding choreography by Astaire, Et.Al., Ray June's cinematography, George Gershwin music, such as the title song, the direction of Stanley Donen, and the Paris fashions by Hubert de Givenchy. The colors are breathtaking. Note the incredible images of the opening dance "Pink." The sights of Paris have never appeared more intriguing. And who would have thought a song and dance in a photographer's dark room could be so delightful?

One of my favorite numbers from "Funny Face" is the hilarious yet imaginative parody of modern dance performed by Audrey Hepburn in a Paris cabaret. The parody can also be interpreted as poking harmless fun at Gene Kelly's ballet-style dancing in "An American in Paris." This scene shows the versatility of the multi-talented Hepburn. Teaming her with the also multi-talented Astaire makes for a winning combination. Why the hoopla about their age differences? Do film reviewers not live in the real world anymore?

This is a much better musical than many of the more touted ones of the 1950's. If you're not careful, this little screen gem may slip past you.