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.Written by
Scott Renshaw <as.idc@forsythe.stanford.edu>
When this film won the Oscar for Best Picture, M-G-M was surprised. As a result, the studio took out a full page ad in the trade paper Variety with their mascot Leo the Lion looking chagrined and sheepishly admitting: "Honestly, I was just sitting in the sun, waiting for a streetcar," a reference to likelier Best Picture winners A Place in the Sun (1951) and A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). See more »
Goofs
When Jerry meets Milo in the street art market, the shadow cast by the wall jumps across the pavement from shot to shot until it is four feet wide, in the space of a moment or two in the story. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Jerry Mulligan:
This is Paris, and I'm an American who lives here. My name: 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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Crazy Credits
And Presenting The American In Paris Ballet See more »
Alternate Versions
In 1995 a restored version was prepared for release on video/laserdisc, with the 18-minute ending ballet soundtrack reprocessed in stereo. See more »
I enjoyed this film. It was lighthearted, delightful, and very colorful. You can see that MGM was showing off Technicolor. There are hardly any colors that do not appear in this film. Every scene is packed full. The choreography was great. Gene Kelly is a wonder. He is so talented. The dance numbers in this film are all perfectly executed, and perfectly designed. He understands that the dances can tell the story as much as anything else. The last section of the film, the grand dance sequence, is very impressive. What makes this film very special is Gershwin's music. Few American composers have had a better gift for melody. I very much enjoy Gershwin's music. It is enchanting. Ira Gershwin is definitely one of the greatest lyric writers. He is so witty and charming. This was a highly entertaining film.
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I enjoyed this film. It was lighthearted, delightful, and very colorful. You can see that MGM was showing off Technicolor. There are hardly any colors that do not appear in this film. Every scene is packed full. The choreography was great. Gene Kelly is a wonder. He is so talented. The dance numbers in this film are all perfectly executed, and perfectly designed. He understands that the dances can tell the story as much as anything else. The last section of the film, the grand dance sequence, is very impressive. What makes this film very special is Gershwin's music. Few American composers have had a better gift for melody. I very much enjoy Gershwin's music. It is enchanting. Ira Gershwin is definitely one of the greatest lyric writers. He is so witty and charming. This was a highly entertaining film.