MGM, 1954
Starring Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Van Johnson, and Barry Jones
Directed by Vincent Minnelli
Music by Fredrick Loewe; Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
MGM had high hopes for this adaptation of the hit 1948 Broadway show, so much that they cut the budget for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and gave it to this film. As you can tell from the title of this entry, things didn't go nearly as well as they expected. People at the time decided they preferred westerns to fantasy and flocked to Seven Brides instead. What happened here? Let's head to the title village in Scotland as the mist is rising over the Highlands and find out...
The Story: New Yorkers Tommy Albright (Kelly) and Jeff Douglas (Johnson) stumble into Brigadoon, a quaint village in the Scottish Highlands, after getting lost in the mist. The citizens are preparing for the wedding of Jean Campbell (Virginia Bosler) to strapping young Charlie Dalyrumple (Jimmy Thompson). Jean's older sister Fiona (Charisse) is in no hurry to go courting, but she and Tommy find themselves falling for each other. Jeff is far less interested in the too eager Meg (Dee Turnell).
Mr. Lundie (Jones), the head of the school, explains to Tommy and Jeff what's going on. The town's priest wished to protect it from witches and other bad spirits, so he prayed for a miracle. Brigadoon only appears once every 100 years. Outsiders can visit, but no resident can leave, or they'll break the spell and the townspeople will die. Harry Beaton (Hugh Loring), who is heartbroken that Jean is marrying another, rushes out during their wedding ceremony in an attempt to leave and destroy the town. It's Jeff who inadvertently stops him, and Jeff who convinces Tommy that he can't stay for some girl he only just met. True love, however, always finds away...even across time.
The Song and Dance: There's several things to admire about this unusual Scottish romance. The cast, especially Jones as the teacher who relates most of exposition about the town and Loring as they angry and vengeful Harry, are the best of the cast, along with some biting wisecracks from an enjoyably sarcastic Johnson. The beautifully done costumes and huge soundstage sets ably recreate the fantasy setting and admittedly deserved their Oscar nods.
Favorite Number: Probably the best and most famous of the lovely dance routines here is "The Heather on the Hill" pas de deux. Kelly and Charisse convey their passion far more ably here than they do when they speak. Kelly has a decent solo to "Almost Like Being In Love," and has fun joining Thompson for "Go Home to Bonnie Jean." I love the nifty wedding ceremony, which really brings the colorful Highlanders and their culture to life.
Trivia: The original plans were to film this in Scotland...but bad weather and budget problems forced them onto a highly detailed soundstage set.
Five songs from the original show and one dance were dropped. "Come to Me, Bend to Me" was deemed extraneous, Kelly couldn't handle "There but For You Go I" or "From This Day On," and the censors had a fit over the ribald lyrics in Meg's songs "My Mother's Wedding Day" and "The Love of My Life." The first three and "The Sword Dance" were at least filmed. "Come to Me," "The Sword Dance," and "From This Day On" still exist in full and are included on the solo DVD and Blu-Ray; only the audio exists for "There But For You."
The Broadway show has been revived many times since 1948, most recently in a concert at the New York City Center in 2017. There's also a TV movie from 1966 with Robert Goulet as Tommy, Peter Falk as Jeff, and Sally Ann Howes as Fiona.
According to Wikipedia, people still ask about the vanishing village in the Highlands to this day when they're roaming around Scotland.
What I Don't Like: MGM should have sprung for the on-location filming, or at least filmed it outside. This show is as much about its setting as the characters, and while the sets are nice, they also make everything seem cramped and confined. They should have gone for Technicolor, too. The Ansco color lacks its vivid hues and is too muted for such a tale, especially given Vincent Minnelli's affinity for brilliant hues.
But even filming outside wouldn't have overcome deficiencies in the cast and story. Kelly and Charisse have more chemistry in their dances than they do in the book scenes. With her two numbers cut, the role of Meg, which is supposed to bring comic relief to a fairly heavy tale, is little more than a bit part. Charisse was never much of an actress outside of her dancing, and that's especially obvious during the second half where she and Kelly are parting.
The biggest problem is...despite its ongoing popularity, this was never my favorite Lerner & Loewe musical. In some ways, you have to agree with Jeff and Harry that the whole "miracle" seems less like a miracle at times and more like a curse. People can come, but they can't leave, and what's supposed to happen to Brigadoon in the future, as civilization continues to push its way into the Highlands? It feels more creepy than romantic to me. Not to mention, the priest did this without consulting the townspeople or asking them how they felt about the whole thing. Couldn't there have been a better way to protect them from bad spirits?
The Big Finale: Some great duets and ensemble numbers don't make up for the inherent problems with the book, casting, and sets. Apparently, a lot of people who did see it in the theater in the 50's or on TV later have fond memories of it, but it's not a huge favorite of mine. For fans of Kelly, Charisse, Johnson, or the MGM musicals of the 1950's only.
Home Media: The DVD and Blu-Ray are currently available from the Warner Archives, and it's on several streaming platforms.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Reviews of musical films, from 1930s black and white to widescreen 21st century extravaganzas.
Showing posts with label Fredrick Loewe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fredrick Loewe. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Oscar Winners - Gigi
MGM, 1958
Starring Leslie Caron, Louis Jordan, Maurice Chevalier, and Hermione Gingold
Directed by Vincent Minnelli
Music by Fredrick Loewe; Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Along with having many things in common with our previous film An American In Paris, this one also has a lot in common with My Fair Lady, which would have still been running on Broadway when this movie came out. It uses a lot of the same creative team, once again has a story involving the relationship between a vivacious girl and a middle-aged man, and a cool old guy steals the show and has some of the best numbers (including a duet with the equally cool old lady). How does the story of a charming teenager and her relationship with a wealthy playboy look now? Let's return to Paris, this time in the early 1900's, and find out...
The Story: Parisian school girl Gigi (Caron) doesn't understand why her Grandmama (Gingold) keeps sending her to dull lessons in manners and charm with her strict Aunt Alicia (Isobel Jeans). She thinks it's all silly. Her grandmother and aunt would disagree. They're training her to become a courtesan - a high-class call girl - so she'll have some security later in life.
Gigi's not the only one who's bored. Gaston Lachaille (Jordan) is also tired of living the outsized and outrageous life of a playboy and dilettante. He's especially fed up with his latest mistress Liane (Eva Gabor) after she cheats on him with her ice skating teacher. His uncle Honore (Maurice Chevalier) encourages his partying, but he's weary of the whole society scene. He visits Gigi and her grandmother to escape the tedium and spend time with with the vivacious teenager. Gigi gets him to take them to the seaside, and they have a wonderful time...but now Grandmama and Aunt Alicia are convinced that the time is right for Gigi to make her debut as an adult. Gaston's not as sure that he's ready for Gigi to grow up; he fears he'll lose the charming "little sister" who brought him so much delight.
The Song and Dance: This is considered to be the last major original musical from the famous "Freed Unit" at MGM...and what a way to go! Vincent Minnelli's work in this is outstanding, some of the best he ever did. There's a few outright gorgeous shots here; my favorite is right before the finale, as Gaston is contemplating why Gigi got so upset after he dragged her out of Maxim's. We see him at night, in silhouette against a flowing, glittering fountain, and it's framed beautifully. I adore his use of color here, from the brilliant red room where Gigi and her grandmother live to the glowing pastels of Paris in the spring. Most of the film was made on location in France, including the real Paris, and it's all the better for it.
What I really love about this one is how intimate it is, especially compared to some of the more "epic" musicals of the 50's and 60's. For all the sumptuous trappings, it's really just the story of a man watching a young girl grow up before his eyes...maybe a little too quickly for his taste. It's a relatively quiet story compared to some of the larger ones we'll be seeing here next week, and for all the talk of courtesans and the life they lead, it's actually quite elegant and classy.
Favorite Number: The title song won the Oscar, probably for the scene in which Gaston sings it while wandering around a stunningly-shot Paris, but my two favorites from this score occur before and during the trip to Trouville. Having won her vacation with Gaston in a card game, Gigi celebrates with "The Night They Invented Champagne." The song is energetic and fun, especially Gingold and Jordan's spontaneous little dance. Grandmama has her own fun with Honore at Trouville when they recall their original affair many years before in the rueful and witty "I Remember It Well."
Maurice Chevalier revived his career in the US with his performance of "Well" and two more hits. He opens the movie with "Thank Heavens For Little Girls" and responds to Gaston's romantic difficulties with Gigi towards the end with "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore."
Trivia: It won nine Oscars in every category it was nominated, including Best Picture, cinematography, score, adapted screenplay, song, editing, costumes, and production design. It was a record at the time, one that would be bested a year later by another big MGM movie, Ben-Hur.
Two of the songs heard here were originally written for other projects. Gigi's wistful ballad "Say a Prayer for Me Tonight" was intended for Eliza to sing before the ball in My Fair Lady, but was cut before the show hit Broadway. Lerner had originally penned the lyrics and title of "I Remember It Well" for a Broadway show he did with Kurt Weill called Love Life and re-wrote them slightly to fit Gigi.
There was a Broadway version that debuted in 1973, with long-time stage star Alfred Drake as Honore, Daniel Massey as Gaston, and Karin Wolfe as Gigi. It was a surprise flop, only lasting four months. A revival in 2015 with Vanessa Hudgens as Gigi made a little over two months.
What I Don't Like: First of all, they way they treat Lianne's attempted suicide is appalling. Granted, they do mention she's done this before and survived, but the men in particular celebrate it and their ability to drive women mad. There's also the whole "courtesan" thing to consider. On one hand, I can understand Aunt Alicia and Mamita wanting niece and granddaughter to have some means of support in her later years, and courtesans were among the few women in Belle Epoque Paris with any real means of controlling their freedom, but they're basically training her to be a very fancy prostitute...and as she frequently complains, she has little say in the matter. She does have a point in her solo "The Parisians" that love is a lot more than that - it's the reason Gaston is bored.
Chevalier's "Thank Heavens" can come off as less slyly winking and and more uncomfortably close to pedophile territory for many audiences today, especially given he sings this around little girls in the opening. (There's a reason Mamita and Aunt Alicia perform this song in the 2015 stage revival.) Also, like My Fair Lady, the intimate story allows for very little dancing. Mamita and Gaston's routine in "The Night They Invented Champagne" is pretty much it.
The Big Picture: The elegant production, lovely music, and outstanding cast helps one overlook some of the more questionable or dated aspects of the plot. If you're a fan of Chevalier, Minnelli's other work, or the musicals of MGM's "Golden Age," this is absolutely worth checking out.
Home Media: As an Oscar-winner and one of the most popular musicals of the 1950's, this is quite easy to find in all major formats, including some streaming platforms.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Google Play
Starring Leslie Caron, Louis Jordan, Maurice Chevalier, and Hermione Gingold
Directed by Vincent Minnelli
Music by Fredrick Loewe; Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Along with having many things in common with our previous film An American In Paris, this one also has a lot in common with My Fair Lady, which would have still been running on Broadway when this movie came out. It uses a lot of the same creative team, once again has a story involving the relationship between a vivacious girl and a middle-aged man, and a cool old guy steals the show and has some of the best numbers (including a duet with the equally cool old lady). How does the story of a charming teenager and her relationship with a wealthy playboy look now? Let's return to Paris, this time in the early 1900's, and find out...
The Story: Parisian school girl Gigi (Caron) doesn't understand why her Grandmama (Gingold) keeps sending her to dull lessons in manners and charm with her strict Aunt Alicia (Isobel Jeans). She thinks it's all silly. Her grandmother and aunt would disagree. They're training her to become a courtesan - a high-class call girl - so she'll have some security later in life.
Gigi's not the only one who's bored. Gaston Lachaille (Jordan) is also tired of living the outsized and outrageous life of a playboy and dilettante. He's especially fed up with his latest mistress Liane (Eva Gabor) after she cheats on him with her ice skating teacher. His uncle Honore (Maurice Chevalier) encourages his partying, but he's weary of the whole society scene. He visits Gigi and her grandmother to escape the tedium and spend time with with the vivacious teenager. Gigi gets him to take them to the seaside, and they have a wonderful time...but now Grandmama and Aunt Alicia are convinced that the time is right for Gigi to make her debut as an adult. Gaston's not as sure that he's ready for Gigi to grow up; he fears he'll lose the charming "little sister" who brought him so much delight.
The Song and Dance: This is considered to be the last major original musical from the famous "Freed Unit" at MGM...and what a way to go! Vincent Minnelli's work in this is outstanding, some of the best he ever did. There's a few outright gorgeous shots here; my favorite is right before the finale, as Gaston is contemplating why Gigi got so upset after he dragged her out of Maxim's. We see him at night, in silhouette against a flowing, glittering fountain, and it's framed beautifully. I adore his use of color here, from the brilliant red room where Gigi and her grandmother live to the glowing pastels of Paris in the spring. Most of the film was made on location in France, including the real Paris, and it's all the better for it.
What I really love about this one is how intimate it is, especially compared to some of the more "epic" musicals of the 50's and 60's. For all the sumptuous trappings, it's really just the story of a man watching a young girl grow up before his eyes...maybe a little too quickly for his taste. It's a relatively quiet story compared to some of the larger ones we'll be seeing here next week, and for all the talk of courtesans and the life they lead, it's actually quite elegant and classy.
Favorite Number: The title song won the Oscar, probably for the scene in which Gaston sings it while wandering around a stunningly-shot Paris, but my two favorites from this score occur before and during the trip to Trouville. Having won her vacation with Gaston in a card game, Gigi celebrates with "The Night They Invented Champagne." The song is energetic and fun, especially Gingold and Jordan's spontaneous little dance. Grandmama has her own fun with Honore at Trouville when they recall their original affair many years before in the rueful and witty "I Remember It Well."
Maurice Chevalier revived his career in the US with his performance of "Well" and two more hits. He opens the movie with "Thank Heavens For Little Girls" and responds to Gaston's romantic difficulties with Gigi towards the end with "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore."
Trivia: It won nine Oscars in every category it was nominated, including Best Picture, cinematography, score, adapted screenplay, song, editing, costumes, and production design. It was a record at the time, one that would be bested a year later by another big MGM movie, Ben-Hur.
Two of the songs heard here were originally written for other projects. Gigi's wistful ballad "Say a Prayer for Me Tonight" was intended for Eliza to sing before the ball in My Fair Lady, but was cut before the show hit Broadway. Lerner had originally penned the lyrics and title of "I Remember It Well" for a Broadway show he did with Kurt Weill called Love Life and re-wrote them slightly to fit Gigi.
There was a Broadway version that debuted in 1973, with long-time stage star Alfred Drake as Honore, Daniel Massey as Gaston, and Karin Wolfe as Gigi. It was a surprise flop, only lasting four months. A revival in 2015 with Vanessa Hudgens as Gigi made a little over two months.
What I Don't Like: First of all, they way they treat Lianne's attempted suicide is appalling. Granted, they do mention she's done this before and survived, but the men in particular celebrate it and their ability to drive women mad. There's also the whole "courtesan" thing to consider. On one hand, I can understand Aunt Alicia and Mamita wanting niece and granddaughter to have some means of support in her later years, and courtesans were among the few women in Belle Epoque Paris with any real means of controlling their freedom, but they're basically training her to be a very fancy prostitute...and as she frequently complains, she has little say in the matter. She does have a point in her solo "The Parisians" that love is a lot more than that - it's the reason Gaston is bored.
Chevalier's "Thank Heavens" can come off as less slyly winking and and more uncomfortably close to pedophile territory for many audiences today, especially given he sings this around little girls in the opening. (There's a reason Mamita and Aunt Alicia perform this song in the 2015 stage revival.) Also, like My Fair Lady, the intimate story allows for very little dancing. Mamita and Gaston's routine in "The Night They Invented Champagne" is pretty much it.
The Big Picture: The elegant production, lovely music, and outstanding cast helps one overlook some of the more questionable or dated aspects of the plot. If you're a fan of Chevalier, Minnelli's other work, or the musicals of MGM's "Golden Age," this is absolutely worth checking out.
Home Media: As an Oscar-winner and one of the most popular musicals of the 1950's, this is quite easy to find in all major formats, including some streaming platforms.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Google Play
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)