![]() ![]() Louis Jourdan was born in Marseilles in 1921 and began his film career in 1939. Although she was no slouch at singing, her singing voice was dubbed by Betty Wand. She has also had a formidably successful career on the stage. She began her movie career in 1951 in ''An American in Paris'' and has appeared in 45 movies since then, receiving two nominations for the Best Actress Academy Award. She trained as a classical ballerina and was discovered by Gene Kelly whilst dancing as a soloist for the Ballet des Champs-Elysées. Leslie Caron, born in 1931 in France, handles this role very well indeed, transforming before our eyes from gauche adolescent to sensual goddess. The focus of the story is the love which develops between Leslie Caron as Gigi and Louis Jourdan as Gaston Lachaille. Love finally has its way and the pair marry. ![]() When he falls in love with Gigi he realises eventually that she must not live the shallow life of a courtesan. Gaston is becoming increasingly bored with his hedonistic lifestyle, including his relationship with his courtesan, Liane, played by Eva Gabor. She meets Gaston, played by Louis Jordan, a rich young playboy, whose roué grandfather, Honoré, played by Maurice Chevalier, is an ex boyfriend of her aunt. The story takes place in Paris in the early 1900's and centres on Gigi, played by Lesley Caron, a beautiful and high-spirited young girl who is being educated by her courtesan grandmother, and great-aunt, played by Hermione Gingold and Isabel Jeans to prepare her for the life of a courtesan, or high class prostitute, to cater for the wealthy gentlemen of the city. In 1991 the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The day after the Oscar ceremony the MGM switchboard operators were instructed to answer calls "M Gigi M" as a tribute to the movie's success. This was an Oscar record which lasted for only one year until 'Ben Hur' broke it with eleven Oscars. The film was a major success both critically and commercially and won all of its nine Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Director. The movie production was by MGM's Arthur Freed unit and it features songs by Lerner and Loewe with arrangements by André Previn. The screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner was adapted from the 1951 stage play by Anita Loos, which itself was adapted from the original novella 'Gigi', published in 1944, by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. ' Gigi' is a spectacular musical comedy film made in 1958, directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Lesley Caron, Louis Jourdain, Maurice Chevalier and Hermione Gingold. ![]()
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