Gigi (1958) | |
| Director(s) | Vincente Minnelli |
| Producer(s) | Arthur Freed (uncredited) |
| Top Genres | Comedy, Musical, Romance |
| Top Topics | Based on Play, Book-Based, Coming of Age, Courtship / Dating, Money, Paris, Romance (Musical), Socialites |
Featured Cast:
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).
.Gigi was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1991.
Academy Awards 1958 --- Ceremony Number 31 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Art Direction | Art Direction: William A. Horning, Preston Ames; Set Decoration: Henry Grace, Keogh Gleason | Won |
| Best Cinematography | Joseph Ruttenberg | Won |
| Best Costume Design | Cecil Beaton | Won |
| Best Director | Vincente Minnelli | Won |
| Best Film Editing | Adrienne Fazan | Won |
| Best Music - Scoring | Andre Previn | Won |
| Best Music - Song | Music by Frederick Loewe; Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner | Won |
| Best Picture | Arthur Freed, Producer | Won |
| Best Writing | Alan Jay Lerner | Won |
BlogHub Articles:
Thank Heaven For GIGI (1958) (1)
By Margaret Perry on Oct 13, 2012 From The Great Katharine HepburnThank 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 HepburnThank 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 BlogAbout 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
See all Gigi articles
Quotes from
Gigi: Who gave it to you, Aunt?
Aunt Alicia: A king!
Gigi: A great king?
Aunt Alicia: No, a little one. Great kings do not give very large stones.
Gigi: Why not?
Aunt Alicia: In my opinion it's because they don't feel they have to.
Gigi: Well, who does give the valuable jewels?
Aunt Alicia: Who? Oh the shy, the proud, and the social climbers, because they think it's a sign of culture. But it doesn't matter who gives them, as long as you never wear anything second-rate. Wait for the first-class jewels, Gigi. Hold on to your ideals.
Aunt Alicia: Bad table manners, my dear Gigi, have broken up more housholds than infidelity.
Gaston Lachaille: It's the same dull world where ever you go, whatever place you are at / The earth is round, but everything on it is flat!
Honore Lachaille: Don't tell me Venice has no lure!
Gaston Lachaille: Just a town without a sewer.
Honore Lachaille: The Leaning Tower I adore!
Gaston Lachaille: Indecision is a bore!
Honore Lachaille: But think of the thrill of a bull fight in Seville / when the bull is uncontrolled / and he challenges the bold matador!
Gaston Lachaille: It's a bore!
read more quotes from Gigi...
Facts about
According to Vincente Minnelli, when shooting in the French restaurant Maxim's the film crew the restaurant's famous mirrored walls to be covered up because they would reflect the equipment, but Minnelli contended that they had to be seen (and uncovered) as they were the hallmark of Maxim's. Eventually cinematographer Joseph Ruttenberg resolved the matter satisfactorily, by putting suction cups on photo flood lights.
Writers Colette and Alan Jay Lerner chose Audrey Hepburn for the title role, which she performed on stage in 1952. Unfortunately, in 1958 Hepburn was busy with other films and could not commit.
read more facts about Gigi...
