Gigi (1958)

Director:

Vincente Minnelli
(more)

Writers:

Colette (novel)
Alan Jay Lerner (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 August 1958 (Brazil)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

The First Lerner-Loewe Musical Since "My Fair Lady"

Plot:

Weary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship, but it may not stay platonic for long. |

Plot Keywords:

Hidden Character | Cinemascope | 1900s | Coming Of Age | France

Awards:

Won 9 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Leslie Caron	...	Gilberte aka 'Gigi'
Maurice Chevalier	...	Honoré Lachaille
Louis Jourdan	...	Gaston Lachaille
Hermione Gingold	...	Madame Alvarez
Eva Gabor	...	Liane d'Exelmans
Jacques Bergerac	...	Sandomir
Isabel Jeans	...	Aunt Alicia
John Abbott	...	Manuel
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pasha	...	White horse at Pré Catelan
Marie-Hélène Arnaud	...	Girl at Maxim's (uncredited)
Jack Ary	...	Waiter at "Palais de Glace" (uncredited)
Richard Bean	...	Harlequin (uncredited)
Cecil Beaton	...	Gentleman in park (uncredited)
Jacques Bertrand	...	Maitre d'Hotel Maxim's (uncredited)
Hubert de Lapparent	...	Gaston's private secretary (uncredited)
Cilly Feindt	...	Girl on horseback at Pré Catelan (uncredited)
Edwin Jerome	...	Charles - Alicia's butler (uncredited)
Corinne Marchand	...	Young lady with white sunshade (uncredited)
Maurice Marsac	...	Prince Berensky (uncredited)
Anne-Marie Mersen	...	Girl at Maxim's (uncredited)
Bernard Musson	...	Guest at Maxim's (uncredited)
Dorothy Neumann	...	Designer (uncredited)
Jean Ozenne	...	Monsieur Lachaille (uncredited)
Maruja Plose	...	Mannequin (uncredited)
Ohad Rossen	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Roger Saget	...	Pierre (uncredited)
Pat Sheehan	...	Blonde (uncredited)
Marilyn Simms	...	Redhead (uncredited)
Lydia Stevens	...	Simone (uncredited)
Jack Trevan	...	Coachman (uncredited)
François Valorbe	...	Henri - Gaston's butler (uncredited)
Monique van Vooren	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
Betty Wand	...	Gigi (uncredited) (singing voice)
Richard Winckler	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Leroy Winebrenner	...	Lifeguard (uncredited)

Directed by
Vincente Minnelli
Charles Walters		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Colette		(novel "Gigi")
Alan Jay Lerner		(screenplay)

Produced by
Arthur Freed	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Frederick Loewe

Cinematography by
Joseph Ruttenberg		(director of photography)
Ray June		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Adrienne Fazan

Production Design by
Cecil Beaton

Art Direction by
E. Preston Ames		(as Preston Ames)
William A. Horning

Set Decoration by
F. Keogh Gleason		(as Keogh Gleason)
Henry Grace

Costume Design by
Cecil Beaton

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist
Guillaume	....	hair stylist
Charles E. Parker	....	makeup artist (as Charles Parker)
William Tuttle	....	makeup artist
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William McGarry	....	assistant director
William Shanks	....	assistant director
Noël Howard	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Hank Moonjean	....	assistant director: France (uncredited)

Sound Department
Wesley C. Miller	....	recording supervisor (as Dr. Wesley C. Miller)
Van Allen James	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Charles K. Hagedon	....	color consultant

Music Department
André Previn	....	conductor
André Previn	....	music supervisor
Conrad Salinger	....	orchestrator
Robert Tucker	....	vocal supervisor
Alexander Courage	....	additional orchestrator (uncredited)
Maurice De Packh	....	additional orchestrator (uncredited)
Robert Franklyn	....	additional orchestrator (uncredited)
Albert Woodbury	....	additional orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Françoise Bouchez	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Alex Romero	....	assistant choreographer (uncredited)

Thanks
Sem	....	acknowledgment: opening credits from drawings by

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presents)
• Arthur Freed Production

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1958) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1958) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1958) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1959) (Japan) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1972) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Mac Mahon Distribution (1997) (France) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (????) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Carrère's Auberge de la Moutière  thanks
• Mairie de Paris  thanks (for the use of parks and gardens) (as City of Paris)
• Maxim's  we gratefully acknowlege the use of
• Musée Jacquemant-André  we gratefully acknowlege the use of
• Palais de Glace  we gratefully acknowlege the use of

Also Known As:

The Parisians (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Perspecta Stereo | 4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-7/5 (new rating: 1982) | Finland:K-3 (new rating: 2001) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Peru:PT | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Auberge de la Moutière - 14 Rue Moutière, Montfort-l'Amaury, Yvelines, France

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Gaston's walk through Paris while singing "Gigi" uses camera magic to make parts of Paris which are miles apart seem adjacent to each other. This technique, called "creative geography", was created and named by French filmmaker Jean Cocteau.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: There is a large mirror in the background in the aunt's private chamber, and film and sound equipment and wiring are reflected in it.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Gaston: Madame, will you do me the honor... the favor... give me the infinite joy of bestowing on me... Gigi's hand in marriage?
Madame Alvarez: Thank heaven.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Day of the Dead (1985)

Soundtrack:

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

Simply delightful

Directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Leslie Caron as the title character, "Gigi" (1958) is nothing short of sweet and delightful. Gigi is a coltish teen in 1900's Paris who lives with her grandmother Madame Alvarez (Hermione Gingold) and who loves to hang out with family friend Gaston Lachaille (Louis Jourdan), an international jet-setter and playboy whose every relationship is documented in the papers. The pseudo-narrator of the film is Henri Lachaille (Maurice Chevalier), Gaston's uncle and a notorious playboy in his own right, who loves to give his nephew relationship advice, solicited or not. Gigi is being bred by her grandmother and aunt to become a refined woman so she can become a mistress for rich and powerful men, so it comes as both a surprise and delight to the women to discover that Gaston may be a suitable candidate. However, Gigi's innocence may not allow this to happen, as she struggles with making the transition between carefree girl to a refined lady with social responsibilities.

Musicals are a rare genre on my "films I adore" list, but "Gigi" has long been a favorite film of mine, despite its sappy moments and sometimes corny jokes. What makes "Gigi" such a good film is its unmitigated Charm with a capital "C"; one can't help but grin a little when Chevalier sings "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" because he doesn't stop flashing that high voltage smile himself. And I cannot get through the scene between Chevalier and Gingold when they sing "I Remember it Well" by the seaside without tearing up because it is just so damn cute. Sure, the revelations and epiphanies are pretty easy and kind of out of nowhere, but considering it is an MGM musical from the 1950's, I would be surprised if there weren't these kinds of things. Everyone in the film looks like they are having a good time (particularly Chevalier), and the great Lerner-Loewe music against the Parisian backdrop is enough to sell me.

"Gigi", while being a 10-time Oscar winner (including Best Picture) has unfortunately been marginalized by some as a typical MGM fluff piece, could be a hard sell, particularly to the jaded Generation Y - and - younger audience. However, since I myself am probably one of the most cynical film-viewers I personally know of, take my word for it – "Gigi" is a lot of fun, and a good way to spend two hours. 8/10 --Shelly