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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)

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
See More Oscar Winners

Gigi 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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Gigi Quotes:

Aunt Alicia: Such stupidity is without equal in the whole history of human relations.
Gigi: [to Gaston] I'd rather be miserable with you than miserable without you.
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!
[Aunt Alicia proudly displays a dazzling emerald from her collection]
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.
Manuel: Listen to your uncle, Monsieur Gaston. He's an old campaigner.
See More Quotes from Gigi
Gigi Facts
The song "I Remember It Well" was adapted from writer Alan Jay Lerner's script for Kurt Weill's 1948 musical "Love Life".
Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's 'My Fair Lady' had just opened on Broadway. Its sets and costumes were lavishly praised so Alan Jay Lerner insisted the play's production designer, Cecil Beaton, should be employed on the film.
Leslie Caron's singing voice was dubbed by Betty Wand. However, original demo recordings of Caron singing "The Night They Invented Champagne" and ""Say A Prayer for Me Tonight" were retained, and have been released on CD.
The songs "She is Not Thinking of Me" and "I Remember It Well" were filmed by an uncredited Charles Walters, as Vincente Minnelli was overseas working on a new project. The first song had originally been shot in Maxim's, but Alan Jay Lerner was unhappy with the way it turned out and at great expense a Maxim's set was recreated on a soundstage and reshot.
The entire film was written, cast and ready to shoot in four and a half months.
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