An American in Paris (1951)
- Starring:
- Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, (more)
- Director(s):
- Vincente Minnelli
- Category:
- Music & Performing Arts
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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, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 114 mins
Complete Cast:
- Gene Kelly - Jerry Mulligan
- Oscar Levant - Adam Cook
- Nina Foch - Milo Roberts
- Martha Bamattre - Mathilde Mattieu
- Mary Jones - Old Lady Dancer
- Don Quinn - Honeymooner
- Noel Neill - American Girl
- Art Dupuis - Driver
- Paul Maxey - John McDowd
- Nan Boardman - Maid
- Madge Blake - Edna Mae Bestram (customer)
- Andre Charisse - Dancing Partner
- Anna Q. Nilsson - Kay Jansen
- Leslie Caron - Lise Bouvier
- Georges Guetary - Henri Baurel
- Eugene Borden - George Mattieu
- Mary Young - Old Woman Dancer
- Greg McClure - Artist
- John Eldredge - Jack Jansen
- Alfred Paix - Postman
- Dick Wessel - Ben Macrow
- Jeanne Lafayette - Nun
- Ann Codee - Therese
- Hayden Rorke - Tommy Baldwin
- George Davis - Francois
- Director(s):
- Vincente Minnelli
- Writer(s):
- Alan Jay Lerner
- Producer(s):
- Arthur Freed
- Categories:
- Music & Performing Arts
- Closed Captioning:
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- Subtitles:
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- 1998 - American Film Institute - 100 Greatest American Movies
- 1951 - Golden Globe - Best Picture - Musical or Comedy
- 1951 - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Picture - Musical or Comedy
- 1992 - Library of Congress - U.S. National Film Registry
