Considered as one of the best Hollywood musicals of all time, Gigi was produced and released by MGM Studios in 1958. The movie that boasts of music and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe was superbly directed by one of the directing geniuses of his time, Vincente Minnelli. Gig, as portrayed by Leslie Caron, is the story of a young woman who comes from a long line of professional mistresses and is trained by her Aunt Alicia (Isabel Jeans) to continue the family trade. However, things get complicated when Gigi and Gaston Lacaille (Louis Jordan) fall in love and have to choose between what their traditional roles in society are, or fighting the system in order to have real love blossom and survive.
The movie was mostly shot in France upon the insistence of Frederick Loewe as a condition of his writing the lyrics for the score by Lerner. As a director, Minnelli expertly uses the pan scan camera method in order to show off the landmark sceneries of old France. By using the pan scan method, the viewer was effectively allowed to see more of the on-screen scenery and actions that, if left out of the scene, would have lessened the viewer’s enjoyment of the overall movie. MGM Studios doubled for France in some interior scenes of the movie and did a superb job of duplicating the aura of the red light district of France during that era.
Obviously one of the last big-budget films of MGM, the movie creators did not hold back in terms of creativity and effects. Using creative geography for some of the most pivotal scenes in the movie, helped the viewers get deeply involved with the battle Gaston was having with his conscience as he struggled with his feelings for the child who grew into a lady right before his very eyes.
Acting-wise, The only weak element to be found in the movie could be the lead actress herself. Since the singing voice of Ms. Caron was dubbed onto the film by another singer, there are various parts of her performance where Leslie Caron would obviously stop singing or not follow the same enunciation of words as the singer who had dubbed for her. Such weakness on Caron’s part though may be attributed to the fact that the musical score was not fully completed before the film began production.
Maurice Chevalier, with his tender grandfatherly demeanor, is perhaps one of the favorite characters from this movie. His acting as the playboy mentor of his grandson effectively plays up to the strengths of his deadpan comedic performance. Most notably stealing the scene in the numbers “Thank Heaven For Little Girls” and “I Remember It Well”, the acting shows a great command of the scene and tempered execution in order to achieve a desired effect on the viewing public.
With over 150 costumes designed by Cecil Keaton, this is perhaps one of the most exquisite costume-designed films of all time. Ms. Beaton’s costumes for Gigi effectively conveys the various coming of age stages of Gigi, from an innocent child to a courtesan in training, to courtesan, without ever making the lead character look cheap or gaudy. Indeed, Gigi was to be a select courtesan for her time and the clothes more than implied this difference between her and a prostitute.
Overall, the screenplay of Alan Jay Lerner managed to deal with the delicate topic of high-class prostitution during a particularly prudish time of Hollywood censors. The movie was not supporting the courtesan movement, nor was it condemning courtesans. Instead, it strove to show everyone that being a courtesan is something that can be avoided or changed by the people directly involved in it. Provided they are willing to buck the system in order to succeed. A timeless story plot that continues to be told in various ways in today’s modern Hollywood films.
Work Cited
Gigi. Dir. Vincente Minelli. Perf. Leslie Caron, Louis Jordan, Maurice Chevalier. 1958. DVD. Warner Home Video.
“Gigi (2 Disc Special Edition)”. DVDTown. 2008. Web.
“Gigi – Film Review Through The Years”. Variety 100. 1958. Web.