Based on a novella by Colette, Gigi won a record setting (at the time) nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Musical Score and Best Original Song. Set in Paris, young Gilberte aka Gigi (Leslie Caron) tends to prefer fun and frivolity as opposed to the high Parisian society she is set to enter. But, will all that change when love comes between Gigi and her playboy friend Gaston (Louis Jourdan)? Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and musical composition by Frederick Lowe, the team that brought us My Fair Lady, Gigi is one of the last great MGM grand musicals.
“Miss Caron is completely captivating and convincing in the title role.” – Abel Green, Variety
“Gigi is a charming entertainment that can stand on its own two legs. It is not only a charming comprehension of the spicy confection of Colette, but it is also a lovely and lyrical enlargement upon that story’s flavored mood and atmosphere. Mr. Beaton’s designs are terrific – a splurge of elegance and whim, offering fin-desiècle Paris in an endless parade of plushy places and costumes. And within this fine frame of swanky settings, Vincente Minnelli has marshaled a cast to give a set of performances that, for quality and harmony, are superb.” – Bosley Crowther, The New York Times
