Gigi | | Cast : | Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier | | Director : | Charles Walters, Vincente Minnelli | | Studio : | Warner Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | January 01, 1958 | | DVD Released Date : | May 02, 2000 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | G (General Audience) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 02, 2005 | | Summary | Gigi | Content
 | It is one of the bets musicals ever put on the screen, and the music is so wonderful, all the song are hits, to me it is a favorit, and CD I just got to have ! |
| Rating | | | Date | May 21, 2005 | | Summary | GIGI IS EYE CANDY | Content
| It is ironic that GIGI, set in the year 1900, was shot on location in Paris while the contemporary "An American in Paris" was filmed on a sound stage. Minnelli wasn't exactly given an open cheque book by a budget conscious Studio and some scenes had to be shot later in California, such as the Trouville sea side episode, under the direction of Charles Walters no less, since Minnelli was already committed to his next film project. The effects of the time limits imposed on Minnelli are evident in some of the street scenes involving Chevalier and Jourdan where the camera is positioned at such an angle as to catch only the upper stories of the Parisian boulevards, thus avoiding all the trappings of the modern age at ground level.
Footage not shot under the direction of Minnelli also strikes a discordant note. The Trouville episode somehow does not blend in with the whole. If Minnelli had been a more forceful character in his dealings with MGM a more suitable arrangement may have been arrived at.
Nevertheless, GIGI is a sensual feast. Minnelli's genius for colour schemes and arrangements are evident in every frame under his direction. No one surpassed him in his lavish use of floral arrangements. He truly was the Renoir of directors and no doubt his heart belonged to the Impressionists.
Minnelli was lucky in his Gallic cast. Leslie Caron was one of the finest actresses of the Musicals genre and Maurice Chevalier epitomized the American image of the civilized and ageless French dandy. Louis Jourdan's character was a perfect fit for his somewhat limited talents. Although GIGI won all nine Oscars for which it was nominated, not a single one was in any of the acting categories. Minnelli had a reputation for indifferent character direction and his actors had to fall back on their own individual thespian resources.
GIGI also features some fine songs and singing and they blend in seemlessly with the story line.
GIGI was not the last great musical. Four Musicals won the Best Picture Oscar during the 1960's but tellingly not one was made by MGM. With GIGI ,the era in which MGM set the standard in the realm of movie musicals, dating back to 1929's "Broadway Melody" came to a spectacular end. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 11, 2005 | | Summary | The Night They Invented Champagne | Content
| I like musicals and Gigi is one of my favorites and reminds me of musicals like My Fair Lady which is another favorite. The cast is great but I especially like Leslie Caron as Gigi and Louis Jourdan as Gaston and I love all of the songs but especially The Night They Invented Champagne. I just think this is a very charming movie and I highly recommend buying it on DVD! |
| Rating | | | Date | May 05, 2005 | | Summary | Gotta love Gigi | Content
| I watched this movie with my mom growing up, she loved it and i do to. It is a clasic wonderful musical. Gigi grows up in love with the man she later marries. when he realises that she is growing up he freaks out and act just like a normal man would. both her grandmother and his uncle add interesting parts in the movie. Gigi is a great hit. true it is a Little Anti-Feminist but that was the way society was back then and makes you laugh now as you watch it. I recomend this to anyone from ages 6 to 80 its a wonderful movie |
| Rating | | | Date | May 01, 2005 | | Summary | Dont listen | Content
| It's sad that today so many people seem unable to broaden their ideas of what a musical should be. This is one of the greats. To those who argue on "feminist" approaches to this film they should read the work of feminist film critics like Molly Haskell. As far as the scenery being "fake", that is a criticism that hardly deserves a response. Van Gogh's scenery was "fake" as well. Anybody with any taste should be able to appreciate how magnificent this film is as an example of large studio productions of the period.Just read the credits, they read like a who's who of art and design in the 50's. In short, buy it you'll love it. |
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