Gigi Overview:

Gigi (1958) was a Comedy - Musical Film directed by Vincente Minnelli and produced by Arthur Freed.

The film was based on the novel of the same name from & Musical Play written by Sidonie Gabrielle Colette published in 1944 (novel); Nov 24, 1951 - May 31, 1952 (play performed at Fulton Theatre, NY).

SYNOPSIS

Set in Paris at the turn of the century, this delightful Lerner-and-Loewe musical, based on a story by Colette, follows a precocious French girl as she is groomed into a would-be courtesan and blossoms into a stunning woman. The story provides plenty of opportunity for Minnelli and MGM to pull out all the stops in its first musical production shot on location.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

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Gigi was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1991.

Academy Awards 1958 --- Ceremony Number 31 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Art DirectionArt Direction: William A. Horning, Preston Ames; Set Decoration: Henry Grace, Keogh GleasonWon
Best CinematographyJoseph RuttenbergWon
Best Costume DesignCecil BeatonWon
Best DirectorVincente MinnelliWon
Best Film EditingAdrienne FazanWon
Best Music - ScoringAndre PrevinWon
Best Music - SongMusic by Frederick Loewe; Lyrics by Alan Jay LernerWon
Best PictureArthur Freed, ProducerWon
Best WritingAlan Jay LernerWon
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BlogHub Articles:

Thank Heaven For GIGI (1958) (1)

By Margaret Perry on Oct 13, 2012 From The Great Katharine Hepburn

Thank Heaven For GIGI (1958) "GIGI" is the shortest title of any movie to have won the Academy Award for best picture. The day after the film won nine Oscars at the 1959 Academy Awards, telephone operators at the studio answered the phones with a cheery "M-Gigi-M!" The original story was wr... Read full article


Thank Heaven For GIGI (1958)

By Margaret Perry on Oct 13, 2012 From The Great Katharine Hepburn

Thank Heaven For GIGI (1958) Labels: Alan Jay Lerner, Andre Previn, Anita Loos, Cecil Beaton, Colette, Frederick Loewe, Gigi (1958), Hermione Gingold, Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdan, Maurice Chevalier, MGM, My Fair Lady (1964), Vincente Minnelli "GIGI" is the shortest title of any m... Read full article


Thank Heaven For GIGI (1958) (2)

By MargaretPerry on Oct 13, 2012 From Margaret Perry

“Caron leads the cast in a contest to see who can be the most French.” (TV Guide) “No doubt inspired by the finicky claustrophobic sets and bric-a-brac, the cast tries (with unfortunate success) to be more French than the French.” (Time Out New York) “I am too old for w... Read full article


Guest Blogger: Author Gigi Amateau interviews Author Joseph Papa

By Google profile on Jul 18, 2011 From Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog

About MeBlogger, Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog and more. Please add my Google profile to your circles. When Elizabeth Taylor passed away earlier in the year, one of my favorite authors Gigi Amateau tweeted the fact that she had met Taylor briefly years ago. I tweeted her back asking if she'... Read full article


“Gigi” – Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdan, Maurice Chevalier

By Art on Jul 10, 2011 From Classic Cinema Gold

“This story is about a little girl. It could be about any one of those little girls playing there. But it isn’t. It’s about one in particular. Her name is Gigi.” ~ Honore Lachaille (Maurice Chevalier) . “Gigi” is a 1958 musical film produced by Arthur Freed and... Read full article


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Quotes from

Gaston Lachaille: [about Liane d'Exelmans] What do you think of her?
Gigi: She is... common!
Gaston Lachaille: Common? What, you mean "ordinary" common or "coarse" common?
Gigi: Ordinary common... and coarse!
[leaves]


Gaston Lachaille: Imagine this if you can! Here is a girl, living in a mouldy apartment: decaying walls, worm-ridden furniture, surrounded by filth...
Honore Lachaille: You're ruining my lunch!
Gaston Lachaille: My heart was touched. I wanted to help her. I offered her everything: house, car, servants, clothes, and me!
Honore Lachaille: And...?
Gaston Lachaille: She turned me down.
Honore Lachaille: Turned you down?
Gaston Lachaille: Turned me down!
Honore Lachaille: It is impossible!
Gaston Lachaille: It is not impossible, it just happened! I was refused, rejected, rebuffed and... repudiated!


Gaston Lachaille: May I come in?
Madame Alvarez: Please, Gaston... no papers... no scandal.
Gaston Lachaille: Madame, will you do me the honour, the favour... give me the infinite joy of bestowing on me... Gigi's hand in marriage?
Madame Alvarez: Thank Heaven!


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Facts about

The film won all 9 Academy Awards that it was nominated for, more than any other film at that point in Oscar history. That record has since been eclipsed by Ben-Hur (11 wins), The Last Emperor (9 wins), Titanic (11 wins) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (11 wins).
The song "I Remember It Well" was adapted from writer Alan Jay Lerner's script for Kurt Weill's 1948 musical "Love Life".
Dirk Bogarde was considered for the role of Gaston and expressed interest, but he was unable to commit due to his having a contract with producer J. Arthur Rank.
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Best Picture Oscar 1958






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National Film Registry

Gigi

Released 1958
Inducted 1991
(Sound)




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Also directed by Vincente Minnelli




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Also produced by Arthur Freed




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Also released in 1958




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