"Gigi"
Some musicals leave you in a state of cheerfulness, some leave you in a state of depression, and then there are ones that leave you feeling emotionless and unfulfilled. Vincinete Minnelli's Gigi happens to fall into this third category. From 1958 - 1968 the Academy of Motion Pictures awarded the best picture statue to five films that fell into the musical genre. My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, West Side Story, Oliver, and Gigi were those five pictures. Of those films Gigi stands out in the bunch as being the weakest entry. There's just something about the film that makes it unable to measure up to rest.
Gigi (Leslie Caron) is a young, high spirited, beautiful Parisian who is in need of some refining if she is ever to marry some rich, suave, debonair gentleman. Gaston Lachaille (Louis Jourdan) is a family friend of Gigi's that fits all of those characteristics. Gaston has been unsuccessful in his attempts of securing a wife. His reputation is plagued by scandals from past romances. After a weekend get away with Gigi and her grandmother Madame Alvarez (Hermione Gingold,) Gaston realizes that he could have a potential future with Gigi. This is also realized by Madame Alvarez and her sister Alicia (Isabel Jeans.) Alicia has been part of the high society scene for quite some time and gives Gigi daily lessons in becoming a courteous young woman. Much to everyone's delight Gigi flourishes into her own and is then asked for her timid hand in marriage.
Despite its aesthetic qualities and fine acting from everyone involved Gigi leaves us feeling disappointed. Sure the film has exquisite production design, eyeful cinematography, and lovely costumes but at its core is a story with characters that just aren't as interesting as all the beauty that surrounds them. In some ways Gigi's story is similar to My Fair Lady. Both screenplays were written by the same person. Even though Gigi came out six years earlier, My Fair Lady is the more well known title. While the similarities aren’t necessarily a bad thing you can't help but draw a connection between the two of them. My Fair Lady did it better.
Caron is delightful as Gigi while Jourdan's Gaston proves to be somewhat unlikable. In My Fair Lady Eliza had Professor Higgins and in The Sound of Music Maria had Captain Von Trapp. Each of these actors had good chemistry with each other because of the way their characters were written and because of what each of them brought to their scenes. Even though Caron and Jourdan each play their parts well, their scenes together lack the spark that the two other couples had. Gaston doesn't change enough for us especially when compared to Gigi's metamorphosis.
It was mentioned in the review of The Sound of Music that Rodgers and Hammerstein did an excellent job of transitioning us from one song to the next. Gigi doesn't bridge those gaps quite as well. The songs don't feel forced but the way the characters arrive at them comes off as unnatural. Gigi's character doesn't have to say she enjoys singing like Maria's character did but every time she or someone else sings it seems contrived to the plot.
Gigi is an hour shorter then My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music that might be its biggest problem of all. The story doesn't have the depth and complexities as the other films do. We aren't as engaged in the characters or what happens to them for that matter because the film never allows us to be. The opening sequence gives us a sense of what time period we're in but it doesn't give us a sense of what we should be feeling towards its characters. Gigi is by no means an inadequate piece of work and could even be perceived as laying the groundwork for its successors. Unlike its successors though, Gigi comes off as nowhere near as memorable.
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