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By
NICK ZEGARAC
A charming tale about a common girl who is transformed into a sexy courtesan for a rich playboy, "Gigi" is the musical that walked off with nine Academy Awards in 1958, including Best Picture. Producer, Arthur Freed capped off his tenure at MGM with a film musical that sparkles like vintage champagne and put together by an impeccable team of artisans both in front of and behind the camera.
The result is a rarity among film musicals -- a truly enduring landmark. The summer that director Vincente Minnelli shot in Paris was the hottest on record then. Inside the Palace du Glace the ice melted, fake trees along the boulevard wilted. Extras passed out from heat exhaustion. None of these problems shows on the screen. In a weak moment, MGM pulled the purse strings shut on Minnelli midway through the production, forcing him to film the poignant "I Remember It Well" against a manufactured sunset on an obvious soundstage. Maurice Chevalier is charming as Honore, the devil-may-care aged playboy, retired from public scrutiny but never too old to look a pretty young thing in the eye and get away with a flirt or two. Louis Jourdan is his nephew, Gaston, a man who is nudged into the affair with Gigi (Leslie Caron) that ultimately blossoms into grand amour. Hermiona Gingold is wonderfully sardonic as Honore's one time love interest and Gigi's caustic grandmother.
Warner Home Video has imported the transfer MGM Home Video first offered. Though colors are rich and vibrant, there are chips, scratches and dirt inherent in the camera negative used to master this film. There's also a slight hint of fading and some minor shimmering and pixelization that won't distract but is unwelcome nevertheless. The 5.1 mix does justice to the date audio.
Extras? None!
Warner needs to remaster this movie for the next generation. Until then, thank heaven for GIGI, a musical masterpiece that continues to charm its way into our hearts! |
