Day 67: An American in Paris (1951)
First saw this on the UW campus in the late 1960s. They use to show classic films in lecture halls for one dollar. I rode my Huffy bike downtown, alone, and saw this in the old Van Hise building. They had two showings, so I sat through twice. I promptly started ballet lessons the next week, Thanks Mom!
Directed by Vincente Minnelli, with a script by Alan Jay Lerner, An American in Paris won the Oscar for best Picture of 1951. Minnelli was the director for musicals, (think of Gigi, and Meet me in St Louis) but how can one go wrong with George and Ira Gershwin musical and the dancing and singing of Leslie Caron and Gene Kelley? There are so many scenes that are delightful such as the 16 minute ballet toward the end, or Leslie and Kelley light and romantic dance number when their characters first meet. MGM, of course, did not shoot this film in Paris, instead opting to do everything on an MGM back lot. That said, the sets are pretty impressive. "S' Wonderful, and "Our love is here to stay" are just a couple of the musical numbers. Plus, you can't get better co-stars than Oscar Levant and Nina Foch. The film has aged in spots, the way a "middle aged" woman (Nina Foch's characters) is presented feels creaky, but in general the dance numbers are fresh and still innovative. It was quite a risk for Kelly and Minnelli to include a 16 minute dance number, particularly one that cost 500, 000.00 to make, but you will see that it makes the movie. Fantastique!
Media Literacy Questions for Kids: Why did a major studio opt to shoot in Los Angeles versus going to France? What are some of the locations that the set designers had to recreate? How does the 16 minute ballet carry the story forward? What are the core values within the film?
Themes: Paris, Love, Creativity, Art, Dance
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