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DVD Music-Concert
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Written by Abbie Bernstein
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Tuesday, 27 April 1999 |
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title:
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An American In Paris |
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studio:
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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| starring: |
Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Nina Foch |
| release year: |
1951 |
| film rating: |
Four-and-a-Half Stars |
| reviewed by: |
Abbie Bernstein |
With songs by George and Ira Gershwin and Gene Kelly’s rapturous
dancing and choreography, movie musicals just don’t come much more
exuberant or gorgeous than ‘An American in Paris.’ Winner of the 1951
Best Picture Oscar (and five other Academy Awards), ‘American’ stands
the test of time, largely because while artists of similar stature in
their own right have come along since, there’s no one really like the
Gershwins or Kelly. This film provides the real articles at the top of
their form.
Kelly plays the title role, Jerry Mulligan, an ex-G.I. who after WWII
has stayed on in Paris to paint. He’s content with his penniless,
bohemian existence until, in quick succession, he is taken under the
wing of a smitten, rich American patroness (Nina Foch) and falls for
local shopgirl Lise (Leslie Caron) who, unbeknownst to Jerry, is
engaged to his pal.
The script by Alan J. Lerner has a slight plot but the dialogue is
ever-clever and it beautifully accommodates the Gershwins’ ecstatic
music. Director Vincente Minelli plays joyously with scene transitions
and is supremely in sync with Kelly’s vision of the many dance numbers.
A lot has been written about Kelly’s limber, athletic grace. What he
does here seems almost physically impossible, yet he performs the most
complicated routines with an expression that suggests Jerry’s legs are
doing all the talking for him -- thecharacter is so at ease in motion
that he’s more effortlessly articulate dancing than talking. As for
Caron, all of 17 when she played Lise, there seems to be nothing that
is beyond the ability of her lithe form from her first showcase
appearance in Chapter 5, when she embodies a variety of aspects of the
same character. Like Kelly, she is in perfect command of her body and
her timing, able to express enormous innocence while endowing her steps
with such sensuality that it’s startling to remember this film was made
when Hollywood censorship was in full force.
The DVD transfer of ‘An American in Paris’ has its pluses and minuses.
The menu that greets us at the beginning of the disk is charming, with
a computer-animated Kelly doing a dance step for us as we browse. The
brilliant Technicolor hues of the original film are all here, and the
contrast in Chapter 29’s black-and-white ball sequence is pleasingly
sharp. An eight-page booklet that comes with the packaging helpfully
points out details in certain scenes, allowing us to reference what
we’re watching as it’s onscreen rather than forcing us to flip between
the movie and supplemental notes on the disk.
There are a few scratches on the print, with a particularly odd frame
flash during Chapter 9’s "I Got Rhythm." Although the soundtrack is in
mono (a weird choice for a musical), the songs come through powerfully,
though on occasion the dialogue levels are lower than desirable.
It is to be hoped that M-G-M eventually releases a stereo ‘An American
in Paris’ DVD. Until that time, this disk is well worth having.
| more details |
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sound format:
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English Dolby Digital Mono; French Dolby Digital Mono |
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aspect ratio(s):
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1.33:1 |
| special features: |
Theatrical Trailer; French Language Track; English Closed-Captioning; French Subtitles; Informational Booklet; Chapter Search |
| comments: |
email us here... |
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| reference system |
| DVD player: |
Kenwood DV-403 |
| receiver: |
Kenwood VR-407 |
| main speakers: |
Paradigm Atom |
| center speaker: |
Paradigm CC-170 |
| rear speakers: |
Paradigm ADP-70 |
| subwoofer: |
Paradigm PDR-10 |
| monitor: |
27-inch Toshiba |
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