Gigi (1958)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Vincente Minnelli

Writers:

Alan Jay Lerner (screenplay)
Colette (novel)

Release Date:

4 August 1958 (Brazil)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

The First Lerner-Loewe Musical Since "My Fair Lady"

Plot:

Weary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship, but it may not stay platonic for long.

Plot Keywords:

Playboy | Grandmother | 1900s | Aunt | One Word Title

Awards:

Won 9 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Leslie Caron	...	Gigi
Maurice Chevalier	...	Honoré Lachaille
Louis Jourdan	...	Gaston Lachaille
Hermione Gingold	...	Madame Alvarez
Eva Gabor	...	Liane d'Exelmans
Jacques Bergerac	...	Sandomir
Isabel Jeans	...	Aunt Alicia
John Abbott	...	Manuel

Also Known As:

The Parisians (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System) | Perspecta Stereo | Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-3 (new rating: 2001) | Finland:K-7/5 (new rating: 1982) | New Zealand:PG | USA:Approved (certificate #18763) (original rating) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Peru:PT | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:G (re-rating) (1975)

Filming Locations:

Auberge de la Moutière - 14 Rue Moutière, Montfort-l'Amaury, Yvelines, France

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

When the stage production of 'My Fair Lady' was trying out in Philadelphia, producer Arthur Freed tackled songwriter Alan Jay Lerner about doing a film musical for him. Lerner had a pre-existing contract with MGM and owed Freed another musical. After reading Colette's novel, he knew he had found the right material to fulfill that contract.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the ice rink, the only couple that includes a skating instructor are dressed slightly differently than Liane and the instructor. He appears to have a black hat on and she a large black bow on her hat. These items have disappeared when we see a close up of them skating.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[Honore walks through Paris and greets the viewer]
Honore Lachaille: Good afternoon! As you see, this lovely city all around us is Paris, and this lovely park is of course the Bois de Boulogne. Who am I? Well, allow me to introduce myself: I am Honore Lachaille. Born: Paris. When...
[laughs]
Honore Lachaille: ...not lately. This is 1900, so let's just say not in this century. Circumstances: comfortable. Profession: lover, and collector of beautiful things. Not antiques mind you, younger things.
[an elderly woman passes by]
Honore Lachaille: Yes, definitely younger. Married: what for? Now please don't misunderstand. Like everywhere else, most people in Paris get married, but not all. There are some who will not marry, and some who do not marry. But in Paris, those who will not marry are usually men, and those who do not marry are usually women.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Magnum, P.I.: Thank Heaven for Little Girls and Big Ones Too (#1.4)" (1980)

Soundtrack:

Say a Prayer for Me Tonight

Glorious

That was the year I fell in love again, and what a gloriously entertaining musical with Chevalier singing "Thank Heaven For Little Girls" referring to the young girl played by Leslie Caron,etc. who is wooed by Louis Jordan until she grows up to be a lady of fashion in Gay Paree. The music is great, the settings are beautiful, and I remember Hermione Gingold and Chevalier singing together a funny song "I Remember It Well". In my book after seeing it for the umpteenth time, it's still a 9/10. Pure enjoyment!