Brigadoon

Actor Gene Kelly and director Vincente Minnelli both wanted to film Brigadoon (1954) on location in Scotland but, in a cost-saving move, the studio insisted that it be shot entirely within the studio's confines. Minnelli later admitted that this decision drained any enthusiasm he had for the project which led to a cursory, paint-by-numbers transcription of the Broadway show. Indeed, when it was released, critics noted the staged 'studio feel' of the movie. The same cost-cutting measures befell Stanley Donen's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) that same year, also forced to shoot indoors. But Donen believed so much in his project that he managed to overcome the obstacle, which Minnelli did not, despite having had double the budget of Donen's film.

The villagers seem in awe of the visitors being from America. One even says, "Oh, you're an AMERICAN?" However, in 1757, the United States was not yet an independent nation and its residents were still subjects of the English King George. The title of "American" was not in common usage until the Revolutionary War (1775), so it's highly unlikely that anyone in a small isolated village in the Scottish Highlands would use it. Even if someone did use the term, there was nothing about being American that would inspire amazement.

A 1.75:1 wide screen version was filmed simultaneously with the 2.55:1 CinemaScope version. It is comprised of alternate takes.

Edited into American Masters: Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer (2002)