An American in Paris (1951)

Three friends struggle to find work in Paris. Things become more complicated when two of them fall in love with the same woman.

Director:

Vincente Minnelli

Writers:

Alan Jay Lerner (story by), Alan Jay Lerner (screen play by)

Stars:

Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant

Won 6 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gene Kelly	...	Jerry Mulligan
Leslie Caron	...	Lise Bouvier
Oscar Levant	...	Adam Cook
Georges Guétary	...	Henri Baurel (as Georges Guetary)
Nina Foch	...	Milo Roberts

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

painter | singer | post world war two | american in paris | dancer | 

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Taglines:

Adventures Of An Ex-GI In The City Of Romance. Art Students' Ball Biggest, Most Daring Ever Filmed. Screen's Most Spectacular Musical!

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Genres:

Drama | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

11 November 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

An American in Paris

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,723,903 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,795

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Costume designer Irene Sharaff used 25 different shades of yellow for the Toulouse-Lautrec segment of the final ballet.

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Goofs

During the ballet dance sequence just before the girls are all on their toes, Lise is in the background with Jerry...then in an instant appears in the front of the scene with most of the other dancers not showing as she waits for him.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jerry Mulligan: This is Paris, and I'm an American who lives here. My name is 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

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Alternate Versions

In 1995 a restored version was prepared for release on video/laserdisc, with the 18-minute ending ballet soundtrack reprocessed in stereo.

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Connections

Featured in MGM: When the Lion Roars: The Lion in Winter (1992)

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Soundtracks

Oh, Lady Be Good
(1926) (uncredited)
Music by George Gershwin
Played as background music

User Reviews

DELIGHTFUL, BUT OVERRATED

Vincente Minnelli's "An American In Paris" is routinely hailed as one of the greatest musicals ever made. While it is wonderful to watch, I hardly think this is the greatest musical ever made, or even Minnelli or Kelly's best musical.

For my money, Minnelli's best musical remains "The Bandwagon", with Fred Astaire, released in 1953. Kelly's best musical for me is "Singin In the Rain", released after "American".

I think one of the problems with "American" is the final 20 minute ballet. While it may have been breathtaking in 1951, today it sparkles at times, but becomes rather tedious after a while. It could easily take a few cuts without any damage. Still, Minnelli and Kelly get points for even attempting such a feat.

Another problem is the screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner, which seems to be just one circumstance on top of another in place of a solid story and likable characters. Even the usually likable Kelly is rather abrasive here.

Yet another problem is Leslie Caron, who is terrible in her acting debut. She had yet to develop as an actress (her later films include "Gigi" and "The L-Shaped Room", much better performances) but her dancing is great and that is enough for now.

But there are several good things about "An American in Paris". One thing is the wonderful Gershwin songs. With songs like "S'Wonderful", "Our Love Is Here To Stay", and the final ballet, you would have to have a heart of stone NOT to love these. Another plus is the casting of pianist Oscar Levant, who steals every scene he appears in. He just brings the movie to life and it's a shame they didn't build the movie around him.

Even though it won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1951, "An American in Paris" feels like a minor work in a minor key compared to other musicals that won the prize such as "Gigi", "My Fair Lady", "The Sound of Music" and "Oliver!". But still, we sit back and enjoy what we see, despite our shortcomings. There have been worse musicals to grace the screen.

*** out of 4 stars