An American in Paris (1951) Review

An American in Paris (1951)

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My Review

The Best Picture of 1951 is…..”An American in Paris.” This musical comedy film tells the story of an American ex-GI who stays in Paris after World War II to become a painter. The plot thickens when he receives romantic attention from both a young French girl and a wealthy American woman who buys some of his artwork. Director Vincente Minnelli (“Father’s Little Dividend” 1951) and screenwriter Alan Jay Lerner put together a high-quality production, with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin.

Gene Kelly’s song-and-dance performance dominated the entire film. Minnelli also handed him the job of arranging the choreography. Leslie Caron also made quite an impression in her feature film debut; she went on to a long motion picture career. Co-stars include Nina Foch, Oscar Levant, Georges Guetary, Eugene Borden, and uncredited cameos by Hayden Rorke, Noel Neill, Benny Carter, Madge Blake, Judy Landon, Sue Casey, and Dudley Field Malone as Winston Churchill.

“An American in Paris” was popular in theatrical release for producer Arthur Freed and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning six: Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Musical Scoring (Saul Chaplin and Johnny Green), and a special Academy Honorary Award for Gene Kelly. Non-winners include Best Director and Best Film Editing.

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