The Best Picture of 1958 is…..”Gigi.” The talented Leslie Caron stars in the title role, in which she is transformed from a tomboy teenager to a mature young woman before our very eyes. Her co-stars include Louis Jourdan as a gentleman caller, Maurice Chevalier is his uncle, Hermione Gingold is Gigi’s Grandmama, and show business perennial Eva Gabor as Liane. Gabor was still a few years away from her most famous role as Lisa Douglas on the CBS sitcom “Green Acres” (1965-1971).
Director Vincente Minnelli (“Father of the Bride” 1950), also well-known as father of superstar Liza Minnelli, does an adequate job here, with a passable screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner. There’s loads of music in this film, with music by Frederick Loewe and lyrics by Lerner. The music was adapted and conducted by Andre Previn. “Gigi” was very successful in theatrical release for producer Arthur Freed and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It is considered the last of MGM’s full-blown musicals, not the best they ever made, but not the worst either.
“Gigi” won all of its nine Academy Award nominations, which were Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song (“Gigi”).
Gigi (1958)
cinema
My Review
The Best Picture of 1958 is…..”Gigi.” The talented Leslie Caron stars in the title role, in which she is transformed from a tomboy teenager to a mature young woman before our very eyes. Her co-stars include Louis Jourdan as a gentleman caller, Maurice Chevalier is his uncle, Hermione Gingold is Gigi’s Grandmama, and show business perennial Eva Gabor as Liane. Gabor was still a few years away from her most famous role as Lisa Douglas on the CBS sitcom “Green Acres” (1965-1971).
Director Vincente Minnelli (“Father of the Bride” 1950), also well-known as father of superstar Liza Minnelli, does an adequate job here, with a passable screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner. There’s loads of music in this film, with music by Frederick Loewe and lyrics by Lerner. The music was adapted and conducted by Andre Previn. “Gigi” was very successful in theatrical release for producer Arthur Freed and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It is considered the last of MGM’s full-blown musicals, not the best they ever made, but not the worst either.
“Gigi” won all of its nine Academy Award nominations, which were Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song (“Gigi”).