An American In Paris - Blu Ray Review

One of the first of the golden age musicals on Blu Ray: "An American In Paris" makes the colors pop even though the aspect ratio is small. What is amazing is the fact of the film being shot almost completely on the backlot at MGM (now occupied by Sony Studios) here in Los Angeles. The key to this film is suspension of disbelief which current movies have a problem doing (with an exception being the recent "Angels & Demons"). The story actually is a mainstay of Hollywood. The interesting angle is of Gene Kelly's character not being too much of a "goody two-shoes". In fact, he dismisses a benefactor in a slightly older but beautiful woman just because he doesn't want to live by the rules. Now this is an adequate thought but one that still motivates many. Leslie Caron plays the ingenue. According to the commentary, Kelly met her after he saw her perform in a ballet in Paris. I actually met Caron for a film a couple years ago starring Naomi Watts and Kate Hudson but possibly didn't fully appreciate her impression in this arena say compared to Debbie Reynolds. Caron entered into the Hollywood system which she knew nothing about. Caron is able to relate that the studio set up escorts for her for film premieres, made sure she was in designer wear, looked radiant, etc. It was a whole process which is still at play in Hollywood but much less formal per se. It is very interesting to hear it discussed so relevantly in a girl who at that time hardly knew English.The sequences in the picture work well but the one that stands out is obviously the ending ballet, specifically the scene around the fountain. In using Gershwin's music which is the mainstay of the film, there is a melding of jazz and classical which Saul Chaplin says makes it utterly original. However it is also Gene Kelly's dancing in front of the kids to "I Got Rhythm" which shows the kind of star he was. "S' Wonderful: Creating An American In Paris" shows the density of creation needed for this movie. Like today's hype, nobody thought that Gene and company could pull this musical off, specifically putting an 18-minute ballet at the end of picture, which ended up being the film's "piece de resistance". The reason they were able to do it is because one of the actresses (the older love interest) got chicken pox.In the end, the film won best Best Picture as a kind of "come from behind" win. The studio honchos were banking against the picture to fail but the greatest success stories come out of such things. The aspect of "I've Got A Crush On You" being Kelly's favorite and eventually cut out of the film is relayed by his widow and Leslie Caron talks about Kelly being the Big Brother watching out for her on set. She said Vincente Minnelli called her "Angel" but that he wasn't very communicative. The outake for the song "Love Walked In" with a singer standing around a piano is too static for sure but you sort of wish there was some dance rehearsals captured on film like they have today. But back then printing film was all about the economics.The audio outtakes don't sound too much different although one still thinks that the "I've Got A Crush On You" would have added an even deeper layer to the picture. The audio interviews show how different the journalistic angle was from today. These interviews were very much scripted to the last detail and released on par with the studio. The stars including Gene Kelly understood the importance of this especially within the censorship-induced elements of the time. "Gene Kelly: An Anatomy Of A Dancer" paints a true portriat of the dancer from a political point of view. This angle could not be seen at the time of the studio system and people were probably too scared to talk about the true politics. However this doc shows how his family especially in his later years infuenced his decisions. The balance of power and creative might have shifted but the aspect of what Gene Kelly did for modern dance on film and the American consciousness is absolutely unforgettable. He was the definition."Paris On Parade" is a travel tix that is meant as a key in to "An American In Paris" by showing how the world works together even after the elements of wartime. It is congenial enough for sure. "Symphony In Slang" is the included cartoon and uses slang to relate what is happening literally in a man's life as he is trying to get into heaven. It is quite metaphorical and intense especially for kids of the day. Maybe it relates to Kelly always pushing the envelope. The trailer keys into the highlights of the day and the opening images ironically enough are all from the closing ballet. "An American In Paris" mixes the necessities of the studio system but like "Singin' In The Rain", although not to its heights, it combines the element of experimentation and neo- realism to a mainstream box office film which makes it no less a triumph in the 40s then it came be seen today. Out of 5, I give the BR of "Paris" a 3.