AN AMERICAN IN PARIS

My 2020 quest to see all the Best Picture Oscar winners is one step closer to completion! An American in Paris won the Best Picture Oscar in 1952. Twelve years after Gone with the Wind, it would be the second color film to earn that award. And it wasted not a single moment showing off the fullest palette of color possible, with splendid results.

The film is a musical that hearkens back to the days of the big old Hollywood Studio System. If you are looking for a deep plot forget it! In fact, the plot is so thin that the movie requires two lavish dream sequences to beef up the screen time for the viewer. In a nutshell, Gene Kelly, plays Jerry, an American living in Paris as a struggling painter. He is friends with Adam (Oscar Levant), a struggling musician. They are both friends with Henri, a nightclub performer. A rich woman named Nina takes an interest in Jerry’s art and in Jerry himself.

However, Jerry takes an interest in another woman named Lise (Leslie Caron). Jerry stalks Lise and ignores her requests to leave her alone (as men did in the 50s!), so she of course falls in love with him. The problem is that she is engaged to his friend Henri. Though Jerry is good friends with Henri, he somehow was never introduced to Lise, before meeting her in a nightclub. That’s about it! I’m pretty sure I don’t need to tell you who Lise will end up with in the end!

This movie is all about spectacle, dance, and musical numbers. And if those are things you enjoy, then you should thoroughly love this movie. I have to say that I found the use of imagery and split screen much more reminiscent of the late 50’s or early 60’s, so I think that is a testament to director Vincent Minelli being ahead of his time. The one dream sequence where Oscar Levant imagines himself not only directing an orchestra but also being every single member of that orchestra as well, was a particular stand out.

This is a musical lover’s musical. The dancing is top-notch (Kelly and Caron are a wonderful pair, and their final quarter-hour routine is a masterpiece) and the old George Gershwin numbers are reminders of wonderful days gone by. This was pure escapism at its very best.

For those who are connoisseurs of iconic television, it’s also nice to see small cameo appearances by Noel Neill (Lois Lane from the 1950s Adventures of Superman), Madge Blake (Aunt Harriett from the 1960s Batman), and Hayden Rorke (Major Bellows from the 1960’s I Dream of Jeannie)!