An American in Paris (1951) User Reviews (203)

I am baffled

[ArtVandelayImporterExporter · 8/10 · 23 November 2021]

This film has Gene Kelly, the Gershwins, Technicolor and a huge budget. From my perspective, all are put to fine use.

I could hardly believe when I saw it's Eye Emm Dee Bee rating barely cracked 7. Wuh? When every film noir turkey gets 6+ and everything cranked out by talentless hacks from Arnold to Bruce Willis to Keanu to every superhero movie ever made gets 8+??

Reading the reviews actually depressed me more. People complaining about there being too much singing and dancing? In a musical!!

Thin on plot ! A musical is not Dickens. It's singing and dancing. You know, escapism.

And then the whining about it not deserving the Best Picture Oscar. Uh, get over it. That was 70 years ago. Nobody reviewing here was alive to be at an Oscar home party that night.

If you can't enjoy a film of dancing and singing draped over Gershwin music there is something seriously wrong with you. Fear not, Avengers 12: The Endquickeninggame is coming to a streaming service near you.

A great film that's not aging well

[info-12388 · 6/10 · 27 May 2009]

Don't get me wrong: the musical numbers are still top rate. Watching Kelly dance anything from the tap on the sidewalks to the full blown ballet at the end is still very much a marvel to behold. But the story? Ehhhh... not so much.

Granted, plots in MGM musicals are pretty thin affairs anyway, little more than slight variations on their Broadway cousins (who, at the time, weren't anywhere near Shakespeare themselves!): stock formulae that involved a boy and a girl and a happy ending. But in American IN Paris, we're to somehow believe that Gene and Leslie are a perfect couple from their very first glance, even though it means trampling all over the feelings of the two people genuinely in love with these two (and Lord only knows why). Poor Nina Foch gets the worst of it: her storyline doesn't even get a proper resolution... and I'm not quite sure I hold to the idea that she wanted to make Kelly a "kept man": instead, she comes across as a woman who falls in love way too easily and has the cash on hand to help her man of the moment realize his own dream with little thought of her own. Certainly she gets twisted in all directions from the moment Kelly, spurned by Caron, shows up at her apartment, seemingly ready to accept her a "real woman"... only to discover that she's just a rebound relationship -- and we all know how well those work out, right? Meanwhile, the guy who's kept Caron's body and soul together comes across as the kind of nice guy that would do *anything* to keep his wife happy... even if it means giving her up for some schmuck he (and she!) barely knows. Again, we're looking at someone with a fierce sense of devotion and the means to create a perfect world for his intended... only to find out that she never really loved him like she said she did. I have little doubt that when his act finally *did* tour the States, it was a huge disaster, because it's difficult to sing something about a stairway to Paradise through a layer of bitter cynicism.

It's interesting that we have these parallel relationships, both set up along the same dynamics of one person totally in love and happy to lay out anything his/her partner wants, no matter the cost -- and that in both cases, the wealthy one, despite the integrity of his/her feelings, get dumped for a somewhat duplicious, deceitful little affair. Maybe, in some alternate MGM universe, these two unfortunate people found each other and got their own happy ending. I sure hope so.

He's got rhythm...

[gaityr · 8/10 · 17 March 2002]

Okay, so the plot is on shaky ground. Yeah, all right, so there are some randomly inserted song and/or dance sequences (for example: Adam's concert and Henri's stage act). And Leslie Caron can't really, um, you know... act.

But somehow, 'An American In Paris' manages to come through it all as a polished, first-rate musical--largely on the basis of Gene Kelly's incredible dancing talent and choreography, and the truckloads of charm he seems to be importing into each scene with Caron. (He needs to, because she seems to have a... problem with emoting.)

The most accomplished and technically awe-inspiring number in this musical is obviously the 16-minute ballet towards the end of the film. It's stunningly filmed, and Kelly and Caron dance beautifully. But my favourite number would have to be Kelly's character singing 'I Got Rhythm' with a bunch of French school-children, then breaking into an array of American dances. It just goes to prove how you don't need special effects when you've got some real *talent*.

Not on the 'classics' level with 'Singin' In The Rain', but pretty high up there nonetheless. Worth the watch!

The dream film that altered my life!

[delh1 · 28 January 2001]

In the year of distribution (1951) of An American in Paris, I had just been married. My husband and I saw the film, and laughed and cried over it. We enjoyed the spectacular dancing, the vibrant colors of clothes and sets, and the marvelous Gershwin music. We both swore that someday we would get to Paris.

Sadly, it was not to be for us, as my husband, Thanos, died 24 years later, having been sick for many years.

The following year an old friend invited me to visit him while he was on sabbatical from school. He had spent many years in Paris, teaching English there, and rented a little house in Neuilly. I said no, but all my friends said "GO! It's the opportunity of a lifetime." So I did, and fell in love with that glorious old city.

I cried because Thanos was not with me, and yet I felt he knew I had come here for both of us, and was glad for me. I have since visited the City of Light 5 times, and love it so very much. I am now too old and too disabled to do any more world traveling, but that city of romance is something that will always remind me of Thanos. That's why I still love to see the youthful Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron falling in love as WE were once young and in love - and the glorious city of Paris - the most beautiful place in the world!

Pure, lovely entertainment

[jdoan-4 · 7/10 · 14 January 2006]

I enjoyed this film. It was lighthearted, delightful, and very colorful. You can see that MGM was showing off Technicolor. There are hardly any colors that do not appear in this film. Every scene is packed full. The choreography was great. Gene Kelly is a wonder. He is so talented. The dance numbers in this film are all perfectly executed, and perfectly designed. He understands that the dances can tell the story as much as anything else. The last section of the film, the grand dance sequence, is very impressive. What makes this film very special is Gershwin's music. Few American composers have had a better gift for melody. I very much enjoy Gershwin's music. It is enchanting. Ira Gershwin is definitely one of the greatest lyric writers. He is so witty and charming. This was a highly entertaining film.

Experiencing Paris With Gershwin

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 28 September 2006]

Gene Kelly came up with some really grand ideas for musicals while with MGM. Here he's at the top of his creative powers working with the Arthur Freed musical unit. Hard to believe when you watch An American In Paris that the players never left the back lot at MGM.

The magic of An American In Paris is due to the creative editing under the direction of Vincent Minnelli and the sets that MGM designed blended with some background establishing shots. The idea of the film originated with Kelly who wanted simply to do a film with a lengthy ballet sequence involving George Gershwin's tone poem An American in Paris. It sounded good to Arthur Freed who approached Ira Gershwin who said fine with him as long as they used other Gershwin material.

Gershwin got the kind of deal for Gershwin music that Irving Berlin normally got. Not one note of non-Gershwin music is heard in An American in Paris. Listen to some of the background music and you will hear things like Embraceable You and But Not For Me which are not real musical numbers.

Another guy who was a fair hand at writing lyrics, Alan Jay Lerner, wrote the story which admittedly is a thin one. All about an ex-GI played by Gene Kelly who after World War II never left France, just settled into an apartment on the Left Bank and proceeded to become a starving artist. He lives with eccentric composer Oscar Levant and does that ever sound like a redundancy.

Two women are interested in him. Another expatriate American played by Nina Foch who wants to sponsor him as a painter if he'll reciprocate in other matters. But Kelly falls for a shop girl played by Leslie Caron in her film debut. Caron also has musical comedy star Georges Guetary interested in here.

Of course the plot is just an excuse to sing and dance to the music of George Gershwin. An American in Paris happens to be the first film I ever saw as an in flight movie on the first airplane trip I ever took. I still remember flying back from Phoenix Arizona to Kennedy Airport seeing Gene Kelly doing I've Got Rhythm. My favorite number in the film however is Tra-La-La which Kelly sings and dances all over the apartment with Oscar Levant playing the piano. At one point Kelly dances on top of the baby grand piano.

In a book about Arthur Freed, I read a quote where he said in the American in Paris ballet sequence was to be done with the background of the French impressionists which he felt the public would take to rather than a realistic setting on the streets or back lot. So it happened that way. Kelly had done lengthy ballet sequences in Words and Music, The Pirate, and On the Town. But this one topped them all. Still does in my opinion and that includes some of Gene Kelly's later films.

In a surprise upset at the Oscars, An American In Paris was chosen best picture for 1951, beating out the heavily favored A Streetcar Named Desire. I guess fantasy trumped realism that year. Big budgets also have an upper hand in these things as well.

Still An American in Paris is one of the best movie musicals ever done and since the studios no longer have all that creative talent under one roof, something less likely to be repeated.

"That's quite a dress you almost have on."

[ackstasis · 6/10 · 22 February 2008]

There's no other way to say it: I am disappointed. After absolutely falling in love with 'Singin' in the Rain (1952)' – a film that singlehandedly ignited my newfound passion for musicals – I, perhaps unreasonably, expected to enjoy Vincente Minnelli's 'An American in Paris (1951)' just as much. Gene Kelly? Music by George Gershwin? Winner of six Oscars, including Best Picture? A clear home-run… or so I'd thought. For almost two hours I waited patiently for the film to hit its stride, but the moment never came, and I finished the film completely unsatisfied, feeling as though somehow it was my fault rather than the picture's. That there's merit in many of the film's musical numbers is undeniable, but, for some reason, all the pieces never quite came together for me, and the love story at the film's centre struck me as being rather generic and uninspired. Gene Kelly, of course, brings an incredible energy to his role as always, and his character exhibits a likable arrogance that gives way to unabashed exuberance once the music starts playing.

As is unfortunately the case in many musicals, the filmmakers seem to have dedicated all their efforts towards the extravagant musical sequences and forgotten that there is ultimately a story to be told. The romance between Jerry Mulligan and Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron) is one that we've seen many times before, and its mundaneness is amplified by the fact that nineteen-year-old Lise is neither as beautiful nor as charming as the film's characters appear to find her {though, in Caron's defence, this was the French actress' debut performance, and she may be acting in a language with which she was uncomfortable}. The awkward three-way relationship between Jerry, Lise and the charming Frenchman Hank Baurel (Georges Guétary) could easily have been played for enormous laughs, but the opportunity is abandoned after just two brief chuckles {with Oscar Levant, the passive onlooker, clumsily spluttering drink all over his shirt}. Such contempt is apparently shown for the story that entire subplots are shamelessly disregarded at the film's end – does Jerry achieve success with his exhibition? Does Adam Cook ever achieve his dream of performing at a concert?

This brings us to the musical numbers, which are thankfully the film's saving grace. Though none of the sequences begin to approach the timelessness of "Singin' in the Rain," "Make 'Em Laugh" or "Good Morning," they are obviously well-written and performed with bravura by the film's stars. My favourite number was probably Kelly's catchy rendition of "Got Rhythm" with the French street kids, which had a good beat and was fun to sing. This film's most ambitious sequence is undoubtedly a wordless, seventeen-minute ballet set to Gershwin's "An American in Paris." Costing a staggering $500,000, the extended dance number is audacious, elaborate and extravagant, effectively earning my admiration despite my inclination towards singing over dance {I typically prefer being able to sing along when I'm watching musicals, which is impossible when they are performing a ballet}. Displaying Technicolor in all its flamboyant brilliance, it's no surprise that the film won Oscars for its cinematography, set decoration and costume design. Had it possessed a decent story, 'An American in Paris' might have been a terrific musical, but, as it stands, I'll continue to regard it as a disappointment.

A display of breathtaking colors dizzyingly romantic...

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 10/10 · 11 August 2002]

Vincente Minnelli directed some of the most celebrated entertainments in cinema history... He was among the first Hollywood directors to show that a profound love of color, motion and music might produce intelligent entertainment...

'American in Paris' is the story of an ex-GI who remains in France after the war to study and paint... He falls in love with a charming gamine Lise Bourvier... Their romantic love affair sparkles as brightly as the City of Lights itself... The whole movie brings a touch of French elegance where technique, artistic style and music all come together in perfect synchronism...

The first musical sequence introduces the exciting personality of Leslie Caron in her screen debut... She is like a diamond, a touch of class... George Guetary describes his fiancée ambiguous grace in a montage of different dance styles, sweet and shy, vivacious and modern, graceful and awesome... The number leads to an unpretentious bistro, where Kelly and his very good friends in Paris share a gentle parody of Viennese waltzes... Later Kelly celebrates a popular tap dancing with a crowd of enthusiastic children singing with him 'I Got Rhythm,' and at the massive jazz nightclub Kelly spots the girl of his dreams... He is instantly hit by her sparkling sapphire blue eyes, and only one clear thing is in his mind, to pull Lize onto the dance floor and sing to her: "It's very clear, Our love is here to stay."

To the joyful 'Tra-La-La,' Kelly provides humor, wit and talent all around Oscar Levant's room ,and even on the top of his brown piano...

When he meets his pretty Cinderella along the Seine river, Kelly is swept away by his happy meeting with Caron... He expresses all his emotions with 'Our Love Is Here to Stay.' The piece had a definite nighttime feel as the two lovers were bathed in soft, blue smoky light... They start an enchanting dance-duet juxtaposing differing elements... Caron dances with her head on his shoulder, then tries to run away in a fluid way... They move backward, away from each other, then pause to rush toward each other, for a little kiss, and a warm hug...

The film's weakest numbers were those that bear little relation to the story... In one, Georges Guetary performs an entertaining stage show with showgirls in giant ornaments floating down to the stage... In another, Oscar Levant imagines himself conducting a concert, and playing not only a piano recital, but the other instruments as well... He even applauds to himself as members of the audience...

The extravagant climactic super ballet of the film is quite an adventure, a breakthrough in taste, direction and design... It is a blaze of love, fury and vividness... It is Kelly's major fantasy of his lost love and of his feeling about Paris as viewed through the huge backdrops of some of France's most Impressionist painters...

The number starts at the Beaux Arts Ball after Kelly finds himself separated from Lise, and begins a sketch with a black crayon... It gathers the important parts of the film's story through a constantly changing locations, all in the style of the painters who have influenced Jerry... The tour, richly attractive and superbly atmospheric, includes the Place De la Concorde Fountain, the Madeleine flower market, the Place De l'Opéra, to his Rendez-Vous at Montmartre, with the cancan dancers in a representation of Lautrec's Moulin Rouge...

Kelly seems to defy the boundaries of his physical self... Caron seems to dominate her space and sweeps you away to another time and place...

Nina Foch appeared very attractive and elegant in her one-shouldered white gown... In one of the film's most famous lines, Kelly asks her: 'That's quite a dress you almost have on. What holds it up?" Nina, cleverly replies, "modesty!"

'An American in Paris' garnered six Oscars, including an honorary award to Gene Kelly... The film gave us a wealth of memories to take home...

A barely interesting story cut short by inexplicable dancing

[rgcustomer · 6/10 · 28 December 2009]

Having just seen the Imperial Ice Stars Swan Lake on Ice, and The Sleeping Beauty on Ice, I'm getting rather tired of the whole "well, we tried the story, now let's just dance around a bit" thing. It didn't work for them, and it doesn't work for An American in Paris.

Speaking just of the two main actors, Gene Kelly is frankly not pleasant to look at, and putting him in grandpa pants doesn't help. Having him mug for the camera while tap-dancing (the dance equivalent of mime) is like fingernails on a chalkboard. He's our hero? He can't even say the girl's name right. It's Lise, not Lisa. And Leslie Caron has what appears to be a freakish overbite that creeped me out for the rest of the night. I may have nightmares. I simply don't buy that she's the head-turner she's made out to be, unless that head is about to hurl -- which it might, given that we're supposed to celebrate this middle-aged man picking up a teenager, who we can read between the lines has already been getting it between the sheets regularly from her "protector" since during the war.

The one interesting character in the entire film is Adam. He reads as a gay friend, unfortunately with no life of his own. If this hadn't been filmed during the heavy-handed Production Code era, he probably would have had a fuller role to play than fiddling with coffee and cigarettes and having narcissistic daydreams. But at least he was there at all.

The much talked-about 18-minute dance sequence at the end is a good time to take a bathroom break, or perhaps drive to McDonald's for some fries and a Coke. You won't miss anything you can't already see, performed as well and by much better-looking people on So You Think You Can Dance.

Many times, we confuse "groundbreaking", which this film probably was, with "good" ,which it certainly was not. Sometimes you have to let go of the past, and this is one of those times.

A trailblazing musical

[23skidoo-4 · 9/10 · 27 October 2002]

An American in Paris was, in many ways, the ultimate mixture of art and Hollywood musical. Made at the height of MGM's powers as a musical powerhouse, the film features memorable music from the Gershwins, who rightly have been called the 20th Century's equivalent of Beethoven and Mozart.

Gene Kelly was also at the height of his powers in this film, though it could be rightly argued that this movie was just the warm-up for his best work in Singin' in the Rain (1952). The two films are actually closely linked. Aside from the Arthur Freed connection, the Broadway Melody segment in "Rain" owes its existence to the incredible American in Paris Ballet sequence in this film. This might well have been the only time a dance number is specially mentioned in the opening credits of the film. And it deserved to be, as it showcases Gene Kelly's skills as a dancer and choreographer to their utmost degree.

The film's cast is uniformly excellent. Leslie Caron, incredibly making her film debut, shows a maturity that makes you think she'd been making films for years. Her introductory dance sequence, and later her work on the Ballet, provides some surprisingly sexy moments rivalled in MGM Musicals only by Cyd Charisse's work in Singin' in the Rain and The Band Wagon. Oscar Levant is hilarious as Kelly's stoic pal, who gets two of the film's best moments: during the end party sequence (which I will not give away for anyone who hasn't seen the film), and one of the film's most memorable musical numbers which couples his incredible piano skills with state-of-the-art (for the time) special effects.

Less memorable are Georges Guetary as Kelly's romantic rival, though he does get a few musical highlights, and Nina Foch as Leslie Caron's romantic rival. The May-December relationship between Kelly's character and Nina's reminded me of the same "kept man" relationship seen between George Peppard and Patricia Neal in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

There are a few elements of the film that made it less satisfying for me than Singin' in the Rain. The Ballet, though lavish and well-produced, doesn't really fit with the rest of the movie. Without giving away the plot, the Ballet just happens, with no real rhyme or reason. And unlike the Broadway Melody sequence, it really doesn't have anything to do with the plot -- and in the best musicals, the songs always have some sort of raison d'etre.

Making matters worse is the ending of the film which happens immediately after the Ballet. Although the ending shouldn't be a surprise (this IS an MGM musical, after all), I was hoping for a bit more ... movie after the Ballet ended. It's as if director Vincente Minnelli felt that he couldn't follow the Ballet with anything else. The film literally left me in the lurch.

That negative aside, An American in Paris rightly ranks alongside the best of Hollywood's musicals. It doesn't quite reach the heights of Singin' in the Rain, but it comes close and it remains a testament to Gene Kelly's skills as one of the greatest dancers of all time.

Benefited from a split vote to win the Oscar for Best Picture

[jacobs-greenwood · 6/10 · 11 October 2016]

"It's wonderful, it smarvelous", but it's also an average musical, though it does feature 44 (!) elaborate sets and did win six Oscars. It probably won Best Picture by benefiting from a split vote between A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) and A Place in the Sun (1951).

It does have a great, if long, dance sequence with Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron. And, Oscar Levant and Nina Foch do provide excellent support. Director Vincente Minnelli received his first nomination (he later won for Gigi (1958), another questionable Best Picture winner).

Kelly is a struggling American artist, working in Paris, until he finds a "sugar daddy" (er, "sugar mommy"?) in Foch. He pals around with his piano playing friend (Levant), dancing and singing "I Got Rhythm" with street kids. His friend knows a singer (Georges Guétary) that's engaged to a pretty young thing (Caron). When Kelly meets her, he naturally falls in love. He then chases her, trying to "win" her away from her unawares fiancé, much to the dismay of Foch and his friend Levant. But, when the two dance, "c'est la vie"!

Added to the National Film Registry in 1993. #68 on AFI's 100 Greatest Movies list. #39 on AFI's 100 Greatest Love Stories list. "I Got Rhythm" is #32 on AFI's 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time. #9 on AFI's 25 Greatest Movie Musicals list.

The best of the best!

[rejoefrankel · 10/10 · 16 February 2000]

Timeless musical gem, with Gene Kelly in top form, stylish direction by Vincente Minnelli, and wonderful musical numbers. It is great entertainment from start to finish, one of those films that people watch with a smile and say "they don't make 'em like they used to!" But they never did quite make them like this. The climactic 25 minute musical sequence without any dialogue is among the most beautiful in film history. Movie magic, clearly derived from the heart and soul of everyone involved. A must see!

Too much singing, too much dancing--it's amazing this film took Oscar's top prize.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 4 June 2006]

Uggh! I really wasn't that impressed by this film, though I must admit that it is technically well made. It does get a 7 for very high production values, but as for entertainment values, it is rather poor. In fact, I consider this one of the most overrated films of the 50s. It won the Oscar for Best Picture, but the film is just boring at times with so much dancing and dancing and dancing. That's because unlike some musicals that have a reasonable number of songs along with a strong story and acting (such as MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS), this movie is almost all singing and dancing. In fact, this film has about the longest song and dance number in history and if you aren't into this, the film will quickly bore you. Give me more story! As a result, with overblown production numbers and a weak story, this film is like a steady diet of meringue--it just doesn't satisfy in the long run.

To think...this is the film that beat out "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "A Place in the Sun" for Best Picture! And, to make matters worse, "The African Queen" and "Ace in the Hole" weren't even nominated in this category! Even more amazing to me is that "Ace in the Hole" lost for Best Writing, Screenplay to this film--even though "An American in Paris" had hardly any story to speak of and was mostly driven by dance and song.

A Cardboard Paris in Hollywood

[ncolborn-1 · 3/10 · 23 January 2012]

Take an accomplished director, one of the world's most famous dancers, a dreamily romantic setting and music from none other than George Gershwin and what do you have? In the case of An American in Paris, you have a film which, for me, falls flat on its face.

The winning combination of talent and reputation thrilled the critics, back in 1951 and the film was showered with awards including six Oscars. But, looked at coldly and in retrospect, it's difficult to understand why . Right from the opening scene, when Gene Kelly – who is supposed to be starving in a Paris garret – wakes up looking prosperous, over-confident and heavily made-up, you can already hear the turkey feathers starting to rustle.

The story falters and bumbles its way through yawning intervals which separate the big numbers and the characters become less convincing with every scene. Leslie Caron, when she finally turns up, looks terrified and toothy and though she dances superbly, seems too timid to bring magic to any of her scenes. She and Kelly dance pretty well together, technically, but without the slightest sense of partnership. Watching them, I got the impression that each would rather have been somewhere else.

The music, despite such great numbers, seems to have been shoe-horned into the narrative and often, doesn't fit. The scene where Gershwin's rattlingly wonderful Concerto in F is performed, for instance, has nothing to do with anything else in the film. It does, however, provide moments of sweet relief from the limping story and embarrassingly stilted scenes.

It's hard to believe that Oklahoma was released only four years later, in 1955 and yet, seems to belong to a different era. Oklahoma succeeds in every respect where An American in Paris fails. The acting is convincing, the story works well, the casting is faultless, the choreography - apart from the disappointing dream sequence - is sublime. But above all, the characters in Oklahoma perform with zest and sparkle in overdrive. That makes the film overflow with a sense of freshness, excitement and overflowing 'joy de vivre'. What a difference!

Why don't they make movies like this any more?

[harry-77 · 5 May 2001]

Okay, so I grew up on MGM musicals. In the 60's I worked in the script department at MGM. I consider MGM my alma mater...the greatest studio the world has ever known, or ever will... and it saddens me to see only one viewer comment on this magnificent film. If the kids today were to watch it, perhaps they'd realize how sad it is that they don't have this kind of film, this kind of immortal music, this kind of great performers to enjoy week after week.. I am only thankful that in my era Hollywood made good decent films... before computer effects, before the so-called music called rock and rap, before all the gratuitous violence and needless explicitness that has made many besides myself prefer renting classic films at Blockbusters to enduring the gross tasteless garbage that pollutes most cinema screens these days. Ooops..I didn't mean to climb on my soapbox, but after watching "An American in Paris" on PBS tonight, I was reminded of the sorry state of the movies today and how wonderful the golden age of Hollywood was. God bless Vincente Minnelli, Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron...wherever you are now...We miss you! Let's hope PBS gives us more of the classics to enjoy!

S' Wonderful? Not entirely..

[Spuzzlightyear · 7/10 · 8 December 2004]

Although the word megalmania is used a lot to describe Gene Kelly, and sometimes his dancing is way too stiff, you have to admit the guy knows how to put on a show. In American In Paris, he choreographs some outstanding numbers, some which stall the plot, but are nonetheless amazing to look at. (Check out Gene Kelly's "Getting Out Of Bed Routine" for starters)

Gene Kelly stars as a GI who is based out of Paris, he stayed there to paint, soon he is a rich woman's gigolo, but he really LOVES SOMEONE ELSE! Hoary story sure, but the musical numbers save the show here! I really loved Georges Gu¨¦tary's voice work in this one. His 'Stairway to Paradise' and his duet with Le Gene on 'S Wonderful' is 's marvelous'. Oscar Levant and Leslie Caron I can take or leave. All in all, a pretty good, but not dynamite movie.

Response to comments

[funkyfry · 10/10 · 3 March 2005]

I felt it necessary to respond to the comments posted on the front page of this film's page because some of it was slightly misinformative.

Originally I posted quotes from the original poster, but I wasn't sure if it was proper given that this is the "comments" index and not a message board (though we used to use 'em that way back before IMDb added the film message boards) so I will edit this to make it unnecessary.

Well, first of all you may not be aware of this, but Gene Kelly first became famous for playing "Pal Joey" on Broadway in the original production. When Vincente Minnelli decided to make a Gershwin "panorama" film, he wanted Kelly's character to be more sophisticated than the "goody two shoes" roles he had been playing in most his films (with the exception of "For Me and My Gal"). Alan Jay Lerner was instructed to construct a new story set in Paris based on the story of "Pal Joey". This gave Kelly a chance to play his famous role from Broadway even though Warners had outbid MGM for the rights to "Pal Joey." In my opinion, the WB film "Pal Joey" is a wreck, though Sinatra was suitable for the role, but other problems sunk the film (script changes and poor direction. ===================================================

You complain that Kelly's pictures are not well done, even citing your art education to prove the point. But you miss the fact that Kelly's bad art was clearly designed to be bad, and it is necessary for the story/characters. The pictures are so bad, the audience knows that Kelly isn't ready for an exhibition. Even he knows it, though Milo has sort of sugared him up to the point where he almost believes her. But it's important that the audience not be sitting there saying "but, he's a great artist, if he only had the chance!". You want the audience to be fully aware of his deficiencies.

Then you complain that he sabotages his interest in the show; again you are not understanding the structure of the story. He refuses because he doesn't want to feel like a gigolo, and because he knows he's not really ready for the exhibition. His enthusiasm for the exhibition is certainly not as great as "Joey's" enthusiasm to "start a nightclub". But it serves the same function in the plot. Remember, it's essential in "Pal Joey" (the play) that Joey gives up his nightclub after he realizes that he doesn't deserve it. Same with the art show. If Kelly's paintings were actually good, it would undermine this whole point. ===================================================

Then you complain that Caron and Kelly have no "chemistry". I guess it's in the eye of the beholder. I agree, the chemistry between them is not as strong as it should be, but for me it was fine. Compare it to even worse "forced" romances like the one between Cary Grant and Sophia Loren in "The Pride and the Passion". ====================================================

When you say that the big dance finale has nothing to do with anything else in this film, it just shows that you haven't dug beneath the surface of the film into its symbolism. Many elements in the dance sequence relate to the story and characters, and through the dance the plot is resolved through images and symbolism. It's about finding love, enjoying love, then losing love (he looks around and his love is gone). The movements of the symphony are constructed so that part of each dance scene mirrors a separate phase of Parisian Art and also a separate phase of their relationships. If you didn't' see that, it's not the movie's fault. It's certainly not a "load of crap". ==================================================

Despite A Great Ballet Sequence, Not Worth a Best Picture

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 11 March 2010]

Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly), an American World War II veteran, is trying to make a reputation as a painter. His friend, Adam (Oscar Levant), is a struggling concert pianist who is a long time associate of a French singer, Henri Baurel (Georges Guétary). Milo Roberts (Nina Foch) takes Jerry under her wing and supports him, but is more interested in Jerry than his art. Jerry remains oblivious to her feelings and falls in love with Lise (Leslie Caron), a French girl he meets at a restaurant. Lise loves him as well but she is already in a relationship with Henri, whom she feels indebted to for having saved her family during World War II.

Gene Kelly never disappoints with his dance routines, most notably here with the kids scene, with various impressions (a soldier, a train, etc.) put to dance. The piano and music in general is good, but taken from a previous work by Gershwin, so one cannot really give it much credit for originality.

And what's with his pants? What do his legs look like? His muscles on top are always rippling, but his legs are securely hidden under the blanket of baggy pants -- is Gene Kelly a stick man? The black and white costume party scene is stylish, and looks great in technicolor. And who can talk badly of the extensive, 25-minute wordless extravagant ballet... with lots of talented unknowns all dancing their Paris-loving hearts out.

"An American in Paris" is a great film if you like watching Gene Kelly dance. Beyond that, though, it's hard to say -- the plot and characters aren't anything special. It's still a shame that this film won best picture (while "A Streetcar Named Desire" did not), and the following year "Singin' in the Rain" wasn't even nominated, despite obviously being the superior film. But, again, if you like seeing Gene Kelly dance, this probably won't disappoint.

The perfect musical.

[Tony-248 · 10/10 · 5 July 1999]

I saw "An American in Paris" on its first release when I was still at school and fell in love with it straightaway. I went back to see it again the next day and have lost count of the number of times I have seen it since, both in the cinema and on TV. It makes fantastic use of some of the best music and songs by the greatest popular composer of the twentieth century (George Gershwin) and features the greatest male (Gene Kelly) and female (Leslie Caron) dancers in Hollywood history. The supporting cast of Oscar Levant (as quirky as ever), Georges Guetary (why didn't he make more movies ?) and Nina Foch (brilliant in an unsympathetic role) are at the top of their form. The closing ballet, superbly choreographed to the title music, makes excellent use of the sights and sounds of Paris and of the images of impressionist and post-impressionist artists. All the Gershwin songs are beautifully staged, but the most memorable are "It's Very Clear" (Caron and Kelly on the banks of the Seine) and "I Got Rhythm" (the kids of Paris joining Gene Kelly in "Une Chanson Americaine"). If you love Paris, see this movie. If you've never been to Paris in your life, see it. But see it !

Beautiful Cinematography

[Fricka · 6/10 · 27 July 1999]

I like this musical. The art direction is first-rate; not surprising with Minnelli as director. "Stairway to Paradise" is my favorite number because it emanates from a stage number, not from forced emotions. The ballet is overblown, unfortunately, which leads me to my main criticism of this film- the lack of soul or spirit. Every detail is realized, sometimes impressively, but it lacks spontaneity and vigor to make it really fly.

Overlong and rather slight in the story, but the music and choreography more than makes up for it

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 3 September 2010]

I am a fan of musicals, and while I don't consider An American in Paris as a direct favourite of mine I still enjoyed it regardless. I agree it is overlong, and the story is very slight here and plays second-fiddle to the music, choreography and such, thankfully all of which make up for it. The cinematography is beautiful, as are the luscious costumes, while the Technicolour is simply marvellous. The choreography is very clever and well-staged, Gene Kelly dances with real athleticism and the 17 minute long ballet sequence while criticised for being overlong and dated is very balletic and I think interesting. And George Gershwin's(Porgy and Bess) score is superb, particularly the charming I Got Rhythm sequence and I'll Build a Staircase to Paradise. Gene Kelly is fine in his role, and Leslie Caron's debut actually is pretty good. Vincente Minelli does well directing. All in all, not a favourite but I still really liked it. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Awesome Performance-Fest, Overrated as a Movie

[gillies · 7/10 · 15 July 2005]

The performers in this movie are a top-notch tap dancer / singer (Gene Kelley), top-notch ballerina (Leslie Caron), awesome pianist (Oscar Levant) and a great singer (Georges Guétary). They will entertain you. This is a top MGM musical.

A few bits of choreography were unbelievable. Gene Kelley setting up breakfast reminded me of a Jackie Chan kung fu episode and i was laughing on the floor. The introduction for Leslie Caron was very cute. Piano Performances by Oscar Levant were great (although one scene was completely gratuitous.) The Duo between Gene Kelley and Oscar Levant was, for me, the high point of the movie.

The movie sinks, however, when considered as a love story. The love story is unconvincing, and its probably because the female lead - partly because of her role, and partly because of her acting, does not convince the audience to fall in love with her. 4 stars here. Better writing and acting could have made this a "9" - much like "Before Sunset".

As a situation comedy it pretty darned funny at times, 6 stars as a comedy. I don't want to give away spoilers but the 4-way love triangle and the resultant situations are worthy of a Lucille Ball episode or better.

The weaknesses of the movie are exposed near the end where there is a low performance to showcase the talent. Apparently the writes and directors realized the story was not going to carry the movie over the top and so they had to do something to compensate for that.

Overall score is 20/30 so i rounded it up to a "7" overall score.

Luxurious and brilliant musical with two big stars : Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron dancing exquisitely

[ma-cortes · 8/10 · 23 October 2021]

The imaginative tale in a magical , fantastic location : Paris . There a free-spirited author and ex-G. I. played by Gene Kelly stays on in the famous capital after the war to study painting . As he stumbles a wealthy divorced woman : Nina Foch who supports his efforts , but he really falls in love for a beautiful young : lovely Leslie Caron and they naturally dance , but the latter is engaged to another man : Georges Guetary .

This enchanting , lavish musical stars Gene Kelly who discovers a deep love while dancing magnificently through wonderful scenarios , though filming mostly in in the MGM studios with no outdoors ; in fact , while it sure looks like Paris , most of it was shot in studios . This release features the hoofer as the independient painter of the title . One of Gene Kelly's classic musicals , in all , the movie offers appointingly several pleasures , though sluggish , at times . The movie is a heady mixture of George Gershwin music , breathtaking dances and light entertainment . Main highlight is the sweeping musical score and Gene Kelly's knock-out choreography . Standing out the astonishing 20-minute ballet which holds the record for longest movie dance number and one of the most expensive , pegged at over half a million for a month of shooting ; due to his efforts , the dance king won a special Academy Award citation. Audiences for big screen musicals were waning when the famous production company Metro Goldwyn Mayer put this stage hit before the cameras and getting success enough . Stars two splendid actors and dancers : Leslie Caron and Gene Kelly in yet another of his more whimsical characters . Along with a great support cast , such as : Nina Foch as the rich American who hopes to acquires a little extra attention from Kelly , Georges Guetary and Oscar Levant .

It displays a colorful and glamorous cinematography in picturesque Technicolor and Cinemascope by Jonh Alton . Marvellous scenarios, worth artificial-looking production design that only emphasised its stagebound origins . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Vincente Minnelli . This filmmaker was considered to be one of the best of the Hollywood golden years , making some masterpieces , being a musical expert , though also made other genres with penchant for drama , as Minnelli shot important pics , such as : "Madame Bovary¨ , ¨Lust For Life¨ , ¨The Pirate¨ , ¨An American in París¨, ¨ Meet me in St Louis¨, ¨Ziegfeld Follies¨ , ¨The Clock¨, ¨Home from the Hill¨, ¨Father of the Bride¨ , ¨The band wagon¨, ¨The Cobweb¨ , ¨Tea and sympathy¨ , ¨The Reluctant Debutante¨ , ¨Some Came running¨ , ¨Yolanda and the Thief " , among others . Rating : 7.5/10 . Better than average .

Fine musical indeed

[rajin22 · 7/10 · 15 May 2000]

This is a fine musical with a timeless score by one of my favorite composers (Gershwin) and a nice 'Parisien' atmosphere which gives the movie a lot of charm, but in terms of a story.. well it's not really there. Or at least, not very well worked out. The acting is also not so smooth by Caron. But I liked some of the dialogues, I liked the scene at the Seine, I liked the character played by Levant, the colors; and the dancing of course, which is quite magnificent.

A 7.5 - 8 seems on the dot to me.

My nomination for most miscast actor in AAIP goes to...

[brazcar · 1/10 · 22 May 2002]

(various spoilers follow)

Gene Kelly. Not Georges Guetary, who is sometimes criticized for being too young and un-French. Not Leslie Caron, who is sometimes criticized for her very green performance. Not even Oscar Levant, who more often than not annoys the dickens out of me.

No, it would definitely be Gene Kelly. There's something about his screen persona that's too ambitious and focused for him to be convincing as a penniless artist in Paris, content to put off facing the critics indefinitely, frolicking with little kids and old ladies and painting in the streets. That's what made him so effective in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN and other movies where he played ambitious, focused characters. Jerry Mulligan is in some ways a cousin to Tommy Albright in BRIGADOON, another Lerner story with Kelly miscast as an American at loose ends who falls in love with a picturesque European place and an innocent female who embodies its virtues.

Except that Jerry isn't as likeable as even poor dazed Tommy. That's another galling thing about this film. Jerry is sometimes a cad to Milo, and even worse to Lise. When he first sees the latter at a club, he pulls a dirty trick to get her to dance with him. When she sits down again he pulls an even dirtier trick to get her phone number. When he calls her the next day she hangs up on him, which he takes as a cue to drop in at her workplace. And throughout all this it's obvious she wants NOTHING to do with him. When she starts laughing at his jokes in the perfume shop, it's about as believable as Milo's interest in his paintings. Sure he's good-looking and playful, but why should that sway her when she's got Henri, who seems like a gentleman to boot?

Admittedly it comes off so distasteful partly because of the actress. If a role like Lise was played by, say, Judy Garland, she would shower Jerry with indignant insults and glares. If she was played by Cyd Charisse, one would admire his guts. But when she's played by first-timer Leslie Caron she looks and acts like a shy, vulnerable teenager, and as a result Jerry just seems like a creep. And why DID they choose these other actors (though personally I'd rather they'd solved things by changing the lead) when the whole story hinges on the romance of these two young poor sweethearts disentangling themselves from their loveless commitments to older rich people? Not only is Gene Kelly a few years above Guetary and Foch, he's old enough to be Caron's father.

In short I think it all would have been improved by casting some young comedic-relief type dancer as Jerry, the kind that usually turned up in musical supporting roles...e.g. Ray MacDonald in GOOD NEWS or Bobby Van in SMALL TOWN GIRL. Maybe not them necessarily but someone LIKE them. Someone who could have chased Lise and made it seem harmlessly playful; someone who would have appeared genuinely happy living in that Chaplinesque hole-in-the-wall; someone whose humor and naivete would have contrasted better with Oscar Levant's sarcastic grumpiness. It probably also would have made the ballet seem less ponderous. And it might have provided a voice that could sing Gershwin better.

All this may give the impression that I don't like Gene Kelly. I do like him. He was terrific in most of his films, just not this one (well, and a few others). I don't despise AAIP itself, either; it has good points, like the art direction. And Leslie Caron, who despite her inexperience is rather charming, and really does look like she just stepped out of a painting. Georges Guetary does a fine job and his "Stairway to Paradise" is my favorite number in the movie. Nina Foch is beautiful and touching and should have ended up with SOMEBODY. But not Jerry Mulligan. I wouldn't wish that on her.