Weary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship which may not stay platonic for long.Weary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship which may not stay platonic for long.Weary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship which may not stay platonic for long.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
23K
YOUR RATING
- Directors
- Vincente Minnelli
- Charles Walters(uncredited)
- Writers
- Alan Jay Lerner(screen play)
- Colette(based on the novella by)
- Niven Busch(uncredited)
- Stars
Top credits
- Directors
- Vincente Minnelli
- Charles Walters(uncredited)
- Writers
- Alan Jay Lerner(screen play)
- Colette(based on the novella by)
- Niven Busch(uncredited)
- Stars
- Won 9 Oscars
- 21 wins & 9 nominations total
Videos1
Richard Bean
- Harlequinas Harlequin
- (uncredited)
Paul Cristo
- Restaurant Patronas Restaurant Patron
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Vincente Minnelli
- Charles Walters(uncredited)
- Writers
- Alan Jay Lerner(screen play)
- Colette(based on the novella by)
- Niven Busch(uncredited)
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen Alan Jay Lerner met Leslie Caron in London to discuss the film with her, he was surprised to discover that Caron, who was of French birth, had become so immersed in the English culture that she had lost her French accent.
- GoofsDuring Gaston's song by the pond thinking of Gigi, there is a fence in the pond forcing the swans to stay in close background. The swans, obviously confused yet undeterred, keep swimming into the fence attempting to get to the swan in deep background on the other side of the pond.
- Quotes
Aunt Alicia: Love, my dear Gigi, is a thing of beauty like a work of art, and like a work of art it is created by artists. The greater the artist the greater the art. And what makes an artist?
Gigi: Cigars and jewelry?
Aunt Alicia: Gigi, you're from another planet.
- Alternate versionsIn some prints shown on television, we see still photos of Leslie Caron part of the time during the song "Gigi", instead of seeing Louis Jourdan singing. (This occurs after the verse and first chorus, when the orchestra plays the song while Jourdan only exclaims "Gigi!") As shown currently, we see Jourdan singing throughout the whole song, as in the theatrical release.
- ConnectionsEdited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Une histoire seule (1989)
- SoundtracksThank Heaven for Little Girls
(uncredited)
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Performed by Maurice Chevalier
Top review
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
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
helpful•4015
- FilmOtaku
- Dec 27, 2004
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $3,319,355 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 55 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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