An American in Paris (1951) is a musical directed by the iconic film and stage director Vincente Minnelli and written by Alan Jay Lerner. The winner of six Academy-Awards, the film stars the incredible actor and performer Gene Kelly, along with Leslie Caron, and Oscar Levant. It also features a wonderful soundtrack, written by George and Ira Gershwin, with George writing the music and Ira writing the lyrics.
Gene Kelly and Oscar Levant in a scene from “An American in Paris” (1951). Photo courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Synopsis
An American in Paris is set in Paris, the city of love, not long after the end of the Second World War. The film centers around American war veteran and painter, Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelley), as he struggles to make his mark in the city. His neighbor, Adam Cook (Oscar Levant), is a concert pianist. He also shares the same struggle for success. Mulligan attempts to make a living and a name for himself by selling his paintings on the streets. Subsequently, this gets him noticed by a wealthy socialite, Milo Roberts (Nina Foch).
Roberts expresses her interest in Mulligan’s paintings and buys two of them. She also extends an invitation to a dinner party. In a later scene, Mulligan is at a bar with Roberts where he notices the gorgeous and charming Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron). He falls head over heels for her and asks her to dance, unknowing of the fact that she is already taken by Henri Baurel, a French singer (Georges Guetary).
Lise works in a perfumery, where Mulligan finds her in an attempt to go out on a date with her and learn more about her. While she agrees to a late-night date, Lise and Henri are soon to become engaged, before he goes off to tour the United States. This, in turn, creates great conflict between Mulligan and Lise, as they are beginning to fall more and more in love with each other. Aside from all of this, Milo also has strong feelings of desire for Mulligan. This adds further complications to an already complicated ordeal.
Analysis
Throughout An American, in Paris, the story and its plot points are expressed through superb dance performances and songs. This makes the characters and their lives even more colorful and animated. Conclusively, Mulligan and Lise must come to understand their true desires and what future they truly want, and who to spend it with.
The choreography is exceptional as it pairs perfectly with the film’s score. It also displays extraordinary examples of different dance styles, such as ballet, jazz, and tap. The choreography, as designed by Gene Kelly, is masterful. In addition, the dancers’ eloquent movements to the music create a mesmerizing experience for the audience. The collaboration between the actors in these dance scenes is nothing less than remarkable. Both Kelly and Caron come together flawlessly to display their immense talent.
One of the more exceptional scenes in An American in Paris is the final dance of the film to the titular song, An American in Paris. It’s a stunning ballet ensemble performed by Kelly and Caron and lasts an astounding seventeen minutes long. Bosley Crowther, film critic for the New York Times wrote as follows in his 1951 review:
“And when they dance on a quai along the river, in hush of a Paris night, to “Our Love Is Here to Stay,” the romance opens and unrepressed magic evolves. Then, in the final, bursting ballet, which is done to a brilliant score of Gershwin music orchestrated with his “American in Paris” suite, the little dancer and Mr. Kelly achieve a genuine emotional splurge. It is Mr. Kelly’s ballet, but Miss Caron delivers the warmth and glow. And a ballet it is, beyond question—a truly cinematic ballet—with dancers describing vivid patterns against changing colors, designs, costumes and scenes”
Leslie Caron in a scene from “An American in Paris” (1951). Photo courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Aside from the dance techniques, the staging during the dance scenes in An American in Paris is visually captivating. It utilizes great use of interesting props and costumes. In the art student’s masked ball scene, for example, the costumes and the set were astonishing, with actors donning very intense-looking black and white costumes. The film is a wonderful depiction of the beauty of art and love
Overall, the centerpiece of the film was in fact the choreography. It truly reels the audience in and leaves a memorable impression on them. The cinematography of An American in Paris is iconic and still appreciated by many today. Especially since it won an Academy Award. It’s considered to be one of the film’s greatest attributes due to its use of color and light.
The film was shot in Technicolor, which was revolutionary at the time. The shift from black and white to color was astonishing for audiences in theaters. They now could see motion pictures like they see life. The use of color over black and white added life and animation to the film. In addition, color captured not only the beauty of Paris but the beauty of love in a whole new fashion.
Alfred Gilks, the film’s cinematographer, made great use of camera angles, through dynamic movements, to create exciting and engaging experiences for the audience. The use of light and shadow added depth to the scenes, enhancing the emotion within them. Specifically, the scene near the end where Mulligan and Lise perform a ballet together in a fountain. There is smoke in the background and incredibly atmospheric lighting, making the scene feel like a dream.
Further Discussion
The attention to detail throughout An American in Paris adds to its beauty. Every scene is perfectly set up with the meticulous placement of props, extras, and background sets. It adds so much to the film, making it appear like a painting in most scenes. This film’s cinematography is a true work of art and a testament to the talent of Alfred Gilks and his team. These techniques created a motion picture masterpiece and are part of the reason why this film continues to be loved and appreciated today.
The musical score of the film, composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin was the bow that tied everything together. George was a very respected and skilled composer who continues to be influential today. His diverse music blends many genres, mainly classical and jazz. The variety of music styles in the film, along with the variety of dance styles, made it much more engaging and unique. Variety Magazine wrote as such in 1951:
“Gershwin’s music gets boffo treatment throughout. While some 10 songs get special handling, true Gershwin fans will recognize strains of most of his other tunes in the background score. With the ballet finale, as well as the picture’s innate color, providing top production values, producer Arthur Freed has wisely included only one other major production number–Guetary’s rendition of “Stairway to Paradise” on a musical stage, complete with the femme line and lush sets and costuming. But the other tunes are each excellently projected”
The collaboration between Kelly’s choreography and Gershwin’s score work wonderfully together. This is especially true for the number “Love is Here to Stay” and the final and titular performance, “An American in Paris.” Furthermore, the skilled dance performances by Kelly and Caron are accentuated by the animated score which adds more color to the already colorful scene. All in all, the score has an incredible legacy, which audiences will continue to enjoy and admire. Gershwin did not disappoint with his scoring of An American in Paris.
Conclusion
Having its world premiere in New York City on October 4, 1951, An American in Paris was a massive commercial success domestically and internationally. In addition, the film was nominated for an astonishing eight Academy Awards, winning six. This included Best Picture, Best Cinematography, and Best Screenplay. The film was also selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 1993. Today the film continues to garner appreciation from audiences worldwide and is considered to be one of the greatest film musicals of all time and overall, a Hollywood classic.
An American in Paris deserves all of these sentiments and then some. Its theatrical and Blu-ray re-release in 2021 displayed to audiences, again, the wonders that this film shows through its incredible performances and beautiful music. Over seventy years later, it’s still a timeless classic that will go on to impress and engage audiences for years to come. None of this could have been possible without the amazing choreography of Gene Kelly, and the astonishing performances by Kelly, Caron, and the other actors.
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