An American in Paris (1951)

Directed by Vincente Minnelli. Starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Nina Foch, Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary, Eugene Borden, Anna Q. Nilsson, John Eldredge.

Vibrant Technicolor, “original” musical (based on a same-named George Gershwin composition from 1928) is a rollercoaster experience—the song-and-dance productions are often lively fun, but the story told between those moments is leaden, contrived, and banal. American Kelly is a starving artist peddling his paintings on the streets of Paris who finds himself pursuing elfin French girl Caron (who’s involved with a friend-of-a-friend French singer played by Guétary) while being pursued by his professional sponsor (Foch). Kelly’s athleticism and charismatic screen presence make up for the thin character he essays; newcomer Caron doesn’t rate at all as an actress, but at least she’s bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed and is a pretty good dancer. The climactic ballet sequence is creative and technically superb…but it goes on far too long and causes everything to grind to a halt instead of building dramatically to a spectacular finish. A surprise triumph on Oscar night over far headier competition (among them A Streetcar Named Desire and A Place in the Sun), netting seven statuettes in all, including Best Picture, Art Direction, Costume Design, and an honorary trophy for Kelly. Though his work went uncredited, Kelly took over directing duties from time to time due to Minnelli’s hectic schedule with other projects and divorce proceedings with Judy Garland.

58/100