Stylish MGM musical tells the story of a scruffy French lass in 1890s Paris groomed to be a mistress by her grandmother. "Gigi" is often referred to as the jewel in director Vincente Minnelli's crown, yet the picture is more ornate pomp and circumstance than delicious musical entertainment. This was the second filming of Colette's novel, following the 1949 non-musical French version starring Danièle Delorme (which gave way to the Broadway success starring Audrey Hepburn). Leslie Caron has the title role here and she's charming, as is Louis Jordan as Gaston, though both are in danger of being swallowed up by the over-production. Maurice Chevalier, Hermione Gingold, Eva Gabor make up the hammy supporting cast, while the songs by Alan Jay Lerner (also the screenwriter) and Frederick Loewe contain the clipped wit of Broadway's best--a good thing, since those musical numbers are really the only instances in which the picture lifts off. 'Prestigious' and glossy, the film is big on exuberant trimmings, as it were, but it doesn't linger lovingly in the memory. Nine Oscar nominations with nine wins, including: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography for Joseph Ruttenberg, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design for Cecil Beaton, Best Editing, Best Song for "Gigi" composed by Lerner and Loewe, and Best Musical Scoring for Andre Previn. **1/2 from ****
Review of Gigi
