An American in Paris is a 1951 American musical romantic comedy film based on the 1928 jazz-inspired symphonic poem An American in Paris by George Gershwin. The film stars Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron (in her first film role), Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary, and Nina Foch. It is set in Paris and directed by Vincente Minnelli, with a script by Alan Jay Lerner. The music is composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by his brother Ira Gershwin. Additional music is provided by Johnny Green and Saul Chaplin, who also serve as music directors.

The film includes dance scenes choreographed by Gene Kelly, set to music from George Gershwin. After George Gershwin’s death in 1937, his brother Ira sold the Gershwin musical catalog to MGM executive Arthur Freed in the late 1940s. Songs from this catalog, such as "I Got Rhythm" and "Love Is Here to Stay," appear in the film. Other songs include "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise" and "'S Wonderful." The film’s climax is "The American in Paris" ballet, a 17-minute sequence with no dialogue, featuring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron. The ballet is set to Gershwin’s An American in Paris and includes sets inspired by the styles of French artists. The ballet sequence cost nearly half a million dollars and was filmed on 44 sets at MGM’s studio lot. In a 2009 interview with Paul O’Grady, Leslie Caron mentioned that the film faced controversy with the Hays Office over a dance scene involving a chair. A censor reviewing the scene called it "sexually provocative," which surprised Caron, who asked, "What can you do with a chair?"

An American in Paris was a major success, receiving eight Academy Award nominations and winning six, including Best Picture. It also earned other honors, such as the first Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. In 1993, the film was added to the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." It is ranked number nine in AFI’s list of the Greatest Movie Musicals.

Plot

Jerry Mulligan is an American who served in World War II. He now lives in Paris and tries to become a successful artist. His friend and neighbor, Adam Cook, is a struggling pianist who has known a French singer named Henri Baurel for a long time. In the bar on the first floor of their building, Henri tells Adam about his girlfriend, Lise Bouvier. Jerry joins them before leaving to sell his artwork.

A lonely wealthy woman named Milo Roberts sees Jerry's paintings in Montmartre. She buys two paintings and takes Jerry to her apartment to pay him. Jerry agrees to attend Milo's dinner party that evening. On his way home, he sings "I Got Rhythm" with some local children. When Jerry learns he is the only guest at Milo's dinner party, he refuses to be treated as a paid companion. Milo explains she only wants to help his career.

At a busy bar, Milo offers to sponsor an art show for Jerry. Milo's friends arrive, and while people talk, Jerry notices a young woman at another table. He pretends to know her and asks her to dance, not realizing it is Lise, Henri's girlfriend. Lise refuses Jerry's request, but he keeps asking. Milo becomes upset and leaves, crying in the car because she thinks Jerry was rude.

The next day, Jerry calls Lise, but she tells him to stop contacting her. Meanwhile, Milo arranges a meeting with a collector who is interested in Jerry's art. Before the meeting, Jerry visits the perfume shop where Lise works. His persistence finally convinces Lise to meet him that evening. They share a romantic song and dance by the Seine River ("Love Is Here to Stay"). Lise then hurries to meet Henri after his performance ("I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise"). Henri tells Lise he is going on a tour in America and proposes marriage to her.

Later, Adam humorously imagines himself performing Gershwin's Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra in a concert hall. In the scene, Adam also acts as the conductor and audience members applaud enthusiastically at the end.

Milo rents Jerry a large art studio and tells him she plans to hold an exhibition of his work in three months. Jerry first refuses the studio but agrees to accept it if he repays Milo when his art sells. After a month of spending time with Lise, Jerry brings her to his apartment building. When Lise suddenly leaves in a taxi, Jerry becomes confused and talks to Adam. Adam realizes that Henri and Jerry both love the same girl. Later, Henri and Jerry discuss the girl they each love ("'S Wonderful") without knowing it is Lise.

That night, Jerry and Lise meet by the Seine. Lise tells Jerry she will marry Henri and move to America. Though she feels she must stay with Henri because he protected her during the war, Jerry and Lise declare their love for each other before parting.

Feeling sad, Jerry invites Milo to an art students' masked ball, where they meet Henri and Lise. Jerry tells Milo he loves Lise. When Henri overhears Jerry and Lise saying goodbye, he realizes the truth. As Henri and Lise drive away, Jerry imagines dancing with Lise across Paris to Gershwin's "An American in Paris." A car horn stops Jerry's daydream. Henri ends his relationship with Lise and returns her to the ball. Jerry and Lise run into each other and embrace.

Cast

• Gene Kelly plays Jerry Mulligan
• Leslie Caron plays Lise Bouvier
• Oscar Levant plays Adam Cook
• Georges Guétary plays Henri "Hank" Baurel
• Nina Foch plays Milo Roberts
• Eugene Borden plays Georges Mattieu

Hayden Rorke, who is best known for playing Dr. Alfred Bellows on the TV show I Dream of Jeannie (1965–1970), has an uncredited role as a friend of Milo. Noel Neill, who previously played Lois Lane in the 1940s Superman serials and later played her again on The Adventures of Superman TV series, appears in a small role as an American art student who tries to criticize Jerry's paintings. Jazz musician Benny Carter plays the leader of a jazz group performing in the club where Milo first meets Jerry.

Madge Blake, best known for playing Harriet Cooper, the aunt of Dick Grayson, on Batman (1966–1968), and for playing Margaret Mondello, the mother of Larry Mondello, on Leave It to Beaver, has an uncredited role as a customer in the perfume shop where Lise works. Judy Landon, who is better known for appearing in Gene Kelly's next musical, Singin' in the Rain, and Sue Casey appear as dancers in the "Stairway to Paradise" scene.

Dudley Field Malone appears in an uncredited role as a street artist who looks like Winston Churchill in Montmartre.

Music and dance

• "Embraceable You" (from Girl Crazy) – Lise
• "Nice Work If You Can Get It" (from A Damsel in Distress) – Hank
• "By Strauss" (from The Show Is On) – Jerry, Hank, Adam
• "I Got Rhythm" (from Girl Crazy) – Jerry
• "Tra-la-la (This Time It's Really Love)" used during tryouts for For Goodness Sake – Jerry, Adam
• "Love Is Here to Stay" (from The Goldwyn Follies) – Jerry, Lise
• "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise" (from George White's Scandals of 1922) – Hank
• Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra – Adam, The MGM Symphony Orchestra
• "'S Wonderful" (from Funny Face) – Jerry, Hank
• An American in Paris Ballet – Jerry, Lise, Ensemble

The 17-minute ballet sequence, with sets and costumes inspired by French painters such as Raoul Dufy, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Maurice Utrillo, Henri Rousseau, and Toulouse-Lautrec, is the main part of the film. It cost the studio about $450,000 to make. Some of the background scenes for this sequence were 300 feet (90 m) wide and 40 feet (12 m) high. Production on the film was stopped on September 15, 1950. Minnelli left to direct another film, Father's Little Dividend. After finishing that film in late October, he came back to film the ballet sequence.

Reception

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote mostly positive things about the film, especially praising the final dance scene, which he called "one of the finest ever put on screen," and Leslie Caron's performance. He said the film feels magical when Caron is on screen, but moves slowly and feels ordinary when she is not. Variety described the film as "one of the most imaginative musicals made by Hollywood in years," calling Gene Kelly the main star and saying his dancing and acting are excellent. Harrison's Reports called it "an excellent entertainment, a delight for the eyes and ears, enjoyable for all kinds of audiences." Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post said it was "the best musical movie I've ever seen," praising its "fresh originality and sophistication." John McCarten of The New Yorker called it "a thoroughly pleasant musical film," noting that the story moves easily between romantic scenes and ballets, and that Gene Kelly's tap dancing is always impressive. The Monthly Film Bulletin said the film is "a decent musical, more attractive than most, but not as good as expected," partly because the Paris settings looked too simple and the story ignored Jerry's painting and art show.

In 2011, James Berardinelli wrote that the film is "a weak Oscar winner," saying it is enjoyable but not special compared to other musicals from 1951. He called it "a fine, fun film with great songs and dancing," but noted it does not stand out.

On Rotten Tomatoes, An American in Paris has a score of 95% based on 101 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The site's summary says the story has issues, but these are ignored because of Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron's performances, the Gershwins' songs, and Vincente Minnelli's direction. On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 83 out of 100 based on 18 critics, showing "universal acclaim."

Box office

According to MGM, a movie studio, the film earned $3,750,000 in the United States and Canada and $3,231,000 in other countries during its first time being shown in theaters. This means the studio made a profit of $1,346,000.

Awards and honors

Gene Kelly was given an Academy Honorary Award for his ability to act, sing, direct, and dance, and for his outstanding work in creating dance movements for movies. This was the only Oscar he ever received.

In 1993, the movie An American in Paris was chosen for preservation in the United States National Film Registry because it is important for culture, history, or art.

American Film Institute recognition:
– 1998: AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies – ranked #68
– 2002: AFI's 100 Years…100 Passions – ranked #39
– 2004: AFI's 100 Years…100 Songs – song "I Got Rhythm" ranked #32
– 2006: AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – ranked #9

The AFI also listed Gene Kelly as #15 among the top 25 most famous American male movie stars.

Digital restoration

In 2011, the film was fixed using digital technology by Warner Bros. to celebrate its 60th anniversary. This version is only available through DCP (Digital Cinema Package).

Stage adaptations

A stage version of the musical was adapted by Ken Ludwig and had preview performances at the Alley Theatre in Houston starting on April 29, 2008. It officially opened on May 18 and ran until June 22. The production was directed by Alley Theatre artistic director Gregory Boyd, with choreography by Randy Skinner. The main actors were Harry Groener and Kerry O'Malley. The musical included many of the film's original songs, as well as other songs by Gershwin, such as "They All Laughed," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," and "Love Walked In."

In 2014, a stage version of the musical premiered in Paris at the Théâtre du Châtelet. The production ran from November 2014 to January 2015. Robert Fairchild played Jerry Mulligan, and Leanne Cope played Lise Bouvier, who was renamed Lise Dassin and portrayed as an aspiring ballet dancer. The production was directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, written by Craig Lucas, and designed by Bob Crowley. Later, the musical moved to Broadway, with preview performances at the Palace Theatre beginning on March 13, 2015. It officially opened on Broadway on April 12.

In popular culture

The ending of the 2016 movie La La Land includes references to the set design and costumes from the film An American in Paris, which director Damien Chazelle described as "a movie that we just borrowed from." In the final episode of The Boys season 3, Soldier Boy (played by Jensen Ackles) mentions a biopic he starred in, which did not win the Oscar for Best Picture, as An American in Paris did.