Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Lili

MGM, 1953
Starring Leslie Caron, Mel Ferrer, Jean-Paul Aumont, and Zsa Zsa Gabor
Directed by Charles Walters
Music by Bronslaw Caper; Lyrics by Helen Deustch

This sweet little story of a lonely girl who befriends a group of puppets, believing them to be real, was a surprise hit in 1953. It would be one of Leslie Caron's best-regarded performances and garnered her an Oscar nod, and gave Ferrer's career a boost. How does this whimsical tale look today? Let's start in a small town in the French countryside on market day, just as Lili (Caron) arrives, and find out...

The Story: Lili seeks the town's baker, but he's dead when she arrives. She's taken in by Marcos (Aumont), a magician with a carnival, who gets her a job as a waitress. Her job ends quickly when she spends more time watching Marcos and his assistant Rosalie (Gabor) in their magic act than serving tables. About to throw herself off the tightrope, she's stopped by the voices of the puppets in the puppet show. She interacts with them and treats them as if they were real, which enchants the crowds. 

The crowds may love Lili's new act, but she doesn't love the man in charge of the puppets, Paul Berthalet (Ferrer). Paul was once a great dancer, but his career ended after he injured his leg during World War II. He's been bitter ever since. Any good and kind feelings he has are filtered through his creations. Lili's more interested in Marcos, until she learns the truth about him. Now Paul has to reveal his true feelings, before Lili walks out on him and his creations for good.

The Song and Dance: What a lovely, adorable film! Caron is truly enchanting as the innocent young woman who wants nothing more than to love and be loved and thinks she's found real friends in the puppets. No wonder everyone at the carnival had fun watching them. It really is a delight to see her chat with them, and the puppets all have equally distinct personalities. The costumes and Oscar-nominated sets are the appropriate mix of real-life French country simplicity and the glitter and spangle of the circus. Ferrer also comes off well as the unhappy former dancer who thinks his new career is beneath him.

Favorite Number: Along with the lilting hit "Hi Lili, Hi Lo," which Lili performs with the puppets when she first encounters them, Caron gets to show off her dancing chops with two extended dance fantasy sequences. Lili imagines herself as a glamorous gamine who is able to finally capture Marcos' roving eye and make him see her as every bit as womanly as Rosalie. The finale has Lili imagining she's running off with human versions of the puppets and dancing happily with them...only to realize that they each represent a facet of Paul's personality. 

Trivia: Famous puppeteers Walton and O'Rourke created the puppets. They rarely appeared on TV; this would be one of the only recordings of their work.

Lili became the first film musical to be turned into a stage show. Carnival! opened on Broadway in 1961, with Anna Maria Alberghetti as Lili and Jerry Orbach as Paul. The show was a minor hit, running two years. 

What I Don't Like: I love Carnival! so much, I wish the film could be even more of a musical, with maybe one more dance sequence and songs for other characters besides Lili and the puppets. Speaking of the puppets, they can be a little creepy-looking at times, especially when they're represented by huge masks during Lili's fantasy dance towards the end. And obviously, this isn't for anyone who isn't into dance or fantasy, or are looking for a darker story.

The Big Finale: A truly charming and gentle film with sweet performances and some delightful dance routines. Highly recommended for lovers of dance, whimsical fantasy, or gentle romances.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, the former from the Warner Archives.

1 comment:

  1. I have lovely memories of LILI. When I was a very little girl, they would have special matinees at the movie theaters during school vacations. These would be mostly old MGM films: LILI, LASSIE COME HOME, GYPSY COLT, TOM THUMB, NATIONAL VELVET, etc. It would be a special price and you might get a free box of candy or popcorn. Later these all turned up on TV as part of "the SFM Holiday Network" on TV. You could count on one or all of these films being on the day after Thanksgiving, during Christmas and winter vacation, etc.

    On the other hand, it always seemed to be a strange film for a "kiddie matinee," seeing that it involves an orphan who's being hit on by an adulterer and the male lead is embittered and downright mean.

    But I did love the film!

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