An American in Paris (1951)
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An American World War II veteran struggles to succeed as an artist in Paris while navigating a complicated love triangle.
The story
American World War II veteran Jerry Mulligan lives in Paris trying to succeed as an artist. His friend and neighbor Adam Cook is a struggling concert pianist and longtime associate of French singer Henri Baurel. At the ground-floor bar in their building, Henri tells Adam about his girlfriend, Lise Bouvier. Jerry then joins them before going out to try and sell his art. Lonely heiress Milo Roberts notices Jerry displaying his work in Montmartre. She buys two paintings, then brings Jerry to her apartment to pay him. Jerry accepts an invitation to her dinner party for that evening, and on the way home, he sings "I Got Rhythm" with some local children.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
American World War II veteran Jerry Mulligan lives in Paris trying to succeed as an artist. His friend and neighbor Adam Cook is a struggling concert pianist and longtime associate of French singer Henri Baurel. Lonely heiress Milo Roberts notices Jerry displaying his work in Montmartre and begins to sponsor his career. While at a bar, Jerry meets Lise, the girl Henri loves, and they begin a romantic entanglement. Lise is initially torn between her duty to Henri, who is going on tour in America, and her growing feelings for Jerry. Jerry eventually rents a lavish studio from Milo. The conflict peaks when Jerry and Lise meet by the Seine and proclaim their love for each other before parting, as Lise feels bound to Henri. At a masked ball, Henri overhears Jerry and Lise saying goodbye and realizes the truth. As Henri and Lise drive away, Jerry fantasizes through an extended dance scene with Lise all over Paris. A car horn breaks his reverie as Henri releases Lise from their relationship and returns her to the ball, allowing Jerry and Lise to run into each other’s arms.
- First release year
- 1951
- Runtime (minutes)
- 113
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Vincente Minnelli
- Writers
- Alan Jay Lerner · writer
- Cast and characters
- Gene Kelly · Jerry Mulligan; Leslie Caron · Lise Bouvier; Oscar Levant · Adam Cook; Georges Guétary · Henri Baurel; Nina Foch · Milo Roberts
- Genres
- musical; romantic comedy
- Themes
- artistic ambition; forbidden love; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- romantic; magical; sophisticated
- Premise and plot tags
- musical; romance; period piece
- Source material / true-story basis
- An American in Paris by George Gershwin (1928 symphonic poem)
- Content notes
- sexually provocative
- Reception
- The film was an enormous critical and financial success, praised for its dance sequences, musical numbers, and sophisticated atmosphere, though some critics noted its slender story.
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Picture · win; Academy Award · Best Original Score · win; Academy Award · Best Original Screenplay · win; Academy Award · Best Costume Design · win; Academy Award · Best Production Design · win; Academy Award · Best Cinematography · win; Academy Award · Honorary Award · win; Golden Globe Award · Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · win
- Production trivia
- The climax is a 17-minute dialogue-free ballet sequence.; The ballet sequence cost nearly half a million dollars.; The film was selected for preservation by the United States Library of Congress in 1993.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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