While trying to make it as a starving artist in Paris, American ex-GI Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly) falls in love with Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron), a young French girl he meets in a jazz club while having drinks with rich suntan lotion heiress Milo Roberts (Nina Foch) who sponsors his art but also has eyes for him romantically. Things are further complicated because it turns out that Lise is already engaged to Jerry's French friend Henri Baurel (Georges Guétary).
An American in Paris is based on a script by American playwright/lyricist Alan Jay Lerner, inspired by a 1928 orchestral composition by American composer George Gershwin. Songs written by Gershwin and his lyricist brother Ira are also used in this film. The film won the 1952 Academy Award for Best Picture.
It was a 1939 Chapron-bodied Delage D8 120.
Jerry and Milo attend the art students' New Year's Eve ball where they run into Henri and Lise. Henri announces that he and Lise are getting married in the morning before they leave for America. Crushed by the news, Jerry confesses to Milo that he's in love with Lise. Lise joins Jerry out on a balcony, where they say their goodbyes to each other and share a last kiss, not knowing that Henri is standing nearby, smoking a cigarette and hearing every word. Jerry sadly watches as Henri and Lise leave the ball together. Jerry remains on the balcony, fantasizing about Lise, presented as a 17-minute, no-dialogue ballet. When his fantasizing ends, Jerry begins to walk back into the party when he hears a horn honking. Looking down, he sees Lise getting out of a taxi. She kisses Henri goodbye then begins running up the stairs toward Jerry. Jerry runs down the stairs, meeting her halfway. They fly into each others' arms, kiss, and then walk down the stairs together, holding hands.
Although An American in Paris is known for its nearly 20 minutes of nondialogue at the end of the movie, it was not the first movie to use this technique. Three years earlier, The Red Shoes (1948) did a nearly 15-minute dialogue-free ballet sequence in the middle of the movie. Immediately following An American in Paris, Singin' in the Rain (1952), another Gene Kelly movie, has a 20-minute dance number at the end. The last 10 minutes of High Noon (1952) is mostly a silent shootout. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) has no dialogue for the first 10 minutes. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) has no dialogue in the first 25 minutes of the movie nor in the last 23 minutes. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) has no really plot-significant dialogue once the spaceship shows up at Devil's Tower. Except for a few grunts and gunshots, The Last of the Mohicans (1992) ends with music (until the last Mohican prays to the Great Spirit). Other movies that have long periods of nondialogue include Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), L'Eclisse (1962) and Rififi (1955).
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- How long is An American in Paris?1 hour and 54 minutes
- When was An American in Paris released?November 11, 1951
- What is the IMDb rating of An American in Paris?7.2 out of 10
- Who stars in An American in Paris?
- Who wrote An American in Paris?
- Who directed An American in Paris?
- Who was the composer for An American in Paris?George Gershwin
- Who was the producer of An American in Paris?
- Who was the cinematographer for An American in Paris?
- Who was the editor of An American in Paris?
- Who are the characters in An American in Paris?Jerry Mulligan, Lise Dassin, Milo Davenport, Adam Hochberg, Henri Baurel, Madame Baurel, Jerry Mulligan (Alternate), and Lise Dassin (Alternate)
- What is the plot of An American in Paris?Three friends struggle to find work in Paris. Things become more complicated when two of them fall in love with the same woman.
- What was the budget for An American in Paris?$2.724 million
- How much did An American in Paris earn at the worldwide box office?$274,000
- How much did An American in Paris earn at the US box office?$268,000
- What is An American in Paris rated?Passed
- What genre is An American in Paris?Drama, Musical, and Romance
- How many awards has An American in Paris won?11 awards
- How many awards has An American in Paris been nominated for?18 nominations
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