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Yar, you be here: Gigi > Customer Reviews Gigi Customer Reviews (4 - 6 of 34 Reviews)Thank Heaven for Little Girls
I first saw Gigi on television and didn't like it. Then I saw the original stage production and began to enjoy it but still was not convinced by it. Finally, I saw it on the big screen at Filmex and fell in love with it. This is the story of France before it ravage by two world wars. When the most complicated thing to decide was were to eat or holiday. Where the upper class men had wives to show and had mistresses (courtesans) to have fun with. Courtesans either retired well off or just retired. Gigi's grandaunt retired well off but her grandmother, who she lived with, made ends meet. Mamita (Hermione Gingold) and Gigi's (Leslie Caron) life is brightened by Gaston Lachaise (Louis Jordan), a wealth businessman and son of one of Mamita's former lovers (Maurice Chevalier). Gaston brings them gifts and lets Gigi beat him at cards. Gigi is being raised to follow in the family tradition, being a courtesan. She takes lessons from her grandaunt. After Gaston's dumps his current girlfriend (Eva Gabor) and she commits suicide ("insufficient pills"), he goes to the Riviera. He invites Mamita and Gigi to come along. His father Honre shows up and has a reunion with Mamita (I Remember it Well). When Mamita and Gigi return, the grandaunt has a fit. Gigi is of the age that her future must be protected and spending time with Gaston is no longer acceptable. And the lessons go into overdrive. Gigi is ready to become a courtesan and Gaston is offered her first. Gaston is flabbergasted but he then thinks about it and decides that he does want her (Gaston's Soliloquy / Gigi). Then Gigi refuses Gaston and then changes her mind. Gaston and Gigi have their first "date" and Gaston comes to a realization that he does not want Gigi for a mistress but a wife. Lerner and Lowe were the kings of Broadway with My Fair Lady. MGM wanted to film it but no film could be made until the Broadway run ended. Therefore, they looked for something with a similar plot and came up with Gigi. (Gigi vs I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face - The Night They Invented Champagne vs The Rain in Spain) The My Fair Lady magic rubbed off on Gigi. Gigi unexpectedly swept the Academy Awards winning a then record 9 Oscars including Best Picture. This is a magical film. Leslie Caron was a former ballerina and did a series of musicals for MGM. Gigi was her greatest MGM role. Hermione Gingold was a veteran character actress that shined as Mamita. Her duet with Chevalier is film classic. Chevalier was a big star in the early musicals of the late 20's and early 30's. Gigi revitalized his career. This is the last great film from MGM and the Freed unit. DVD EXTRAS: None a classic
when my children were in college, (a son and a daughter) they introduced Gigi and other classical musicals to their friends. They in turn love these old movies ( in their eyes)and think they are great and always talk about how they found these old gems. "Gigi" Deserves Restoration
This is a favorite movie of mine, but having just watched it again on a large-screen TV, I see how poor the print is. The scratches alone during the sequence "I Remember It Well" points this out. Turner Classic Movies has recently done a superb job with a restored "Ben Hur." "Gigi" deserves the the same treatment, and I'll buy a copy when it comes out.
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