Summary
Gene Kelly does his patented Pal Joey bit as Jerry Mulligan, an opportunistic American painter living in Paris' "starving artists" colony. He is discovered by wealthy Milo Roberts (Nina Foch), who becomes Jerry's patroness in more ways than one. Meanwhile, Jerry plays hookey on this setup by romancing waif-like Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron) -- who, unbeknownst to him, is the object of the affections of his close friend Henri (Georges Guetary), a popular nightclub performer. (The film was supposed to make Guetary into "the New Chevalier." It didn't.) The thinnish plot is held together by the superlative production numbers and by the recycling of several vintage George Gershwin tunes, including "I Got Rhythm," "'S Wonderful," and "Our Love Is Here to Stay." Highlights include Guetary's rendition of "Stairway to Paradise"; Oscar Levant's fantasy of conducting and performing Gershwin's "Concerto in F" (Levant also appears as every member of the orchestra); and the closing 17-minute "American in Paris" ballet, in which Kelly and Caron dance before lavish backgrounds based on the works of famed French artists. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Additional Information
Subjects |
Gershwin, George,
-- 1898-1937
-- Film adaptations.
Expatriate painters -- France -- Paris -- Drama. Man-woman relationships -- Drama. Triangles (Interpersonal relations) -- Drama. Paris (France) -- Drama. Musical films. Romance films. Film adaptations. Video recordings for the hearing impaired. Fiction films. Feature films. |
Publisher | Burbank, CA :Warner Home Video,2010 |
Edition | Full screen. |
Contributors |
Minnelli, Vincente.
Kelly, Gene, 1912-1996. Caron, Leslie. Levant, Oscar, 1906-1972. Gershwin, George, 1898-1937. |
Participants/Performers |
Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guetary, Nina Foch. |
Other Contributors |
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin ; music by George Gershwin ; musical direction, Johnny Green and Saul Chaplin ; choreography by Gene Kelly ; director of photography, Alfred Gilks ; ballet photographed by John Alton ; art directors, Cedric Gibbons and Preston Ames ; film editor, Adrienne Fazan ; recording supervisor, Douglas Shearer ; set decorations, Edwin B. Willis ; special effects, Warren Newcombe, Irving G. Ries ; orchestrations, Conrad Salinger ; costumes designed by Orry-Kelly ; Beaux Arts Ball costumes designed by Walter Plunkett ; ballet costumes designed by Irene Sharaff. |
Audience |
MPAA: Not rated. |
Language |
English French In English or French with optional English or French subtitles. Closed-captioned. |
Notes |
Inspired by the tone poem composed by George Gershwin. Originally released as a motion picture in 1951. Features: audio commentary hosted by Patricia Ward Kelly; short "FitzPatrick traveltalks: Paris on parade" (1937); classic cartoon "Symphony in slang" directed by Tex Avery; theatrical trailer. |
System Details |
DVD, Dolby digital mono. |
Description |
1 videodisc (114 min.) : sound, color ; 4 3/4 in. |
ISBN | 0780665813 9780780665811 |
Other | Classic View |