Gigi

In Paris at the turn of the century, a young girl named Gigi is being raised by her grandmother and great-aunt to become the mistress of a rich man. Gaston, a friend of the family, has known her since childhood. When she grows up, everyone tries to set the arrangement in motion, and she refuses to be part of the bargain. The film is not interested in love. It is interested in a profession taught between women: across the film Gigi is instructed in choosing jewels, cutting a cigar and how to sit. Beneath the cheerful musical lies an extremely cold contract. The form is lavish: Cecil Beaton's costumes and design, exteriors shot in Paris, Maxim's and the Bois de Boulogne. The songs are Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's. Vincente Minnelli directed, from Colette's novella. The film won all nine of the Academy Awards it was nominated for, a result unseen until then. Maurice Chevalier received an honorary award the same year. Leslie Caron plays Gigi; her singing is performed by Betty Wand. Who it is for: viewers who like classical Hollywood musicals and period design. Who it is not for: anyone who will see the subject with today's eyes. A girl being raised as a mistress is largely presented here as a charming tradition.