Review of An American in Paris (1951) by Kenneth L — 04 Jun 2012

Sure, it's a classic and all, but I can't help but compare it with Singin' in the Rain, which Gene Kelly went on to make the next year, and which is light-years better in nearly every conceivable way. This is a decent enough old Hollywood musical, and it was very popular and respected at the time (it won Best Picture and a bunch of other Oscars), but it's dated in a way the nearly flawless Singin' in the Rain hasn't.

The story is simple and cheesy. Gene Kelly (the character has a name, but whatever, we all know he's Gene Kelly) is an American painter living in Paris after the war. He falls in love with a girl (Leslie Caron), has a sardonic pianist friend (Oscar Levant), and that's about it.

Gene Kelly is probably my favorite dancer/choreographer in the history of the movies, and he certainly got to do a lot of dancing in this one, particularly in the wordless 18-minute dancing extravaganza that closes the picture. Leslie Caron's performance is ok, but she does keep up with Kelly dancing-wise. Oscar Levant's character is pretty funny, but he feels under-used.

When you compare the movie to Singin' in the Rain, the latter picture is just so much better. In Singin' in the Rain, the story is better, the performances are better (particularly Donald O'Connor's glorious turn there), the songs are more memorable and better integrated into the fabric of the film, the movie is a lot funnier, and it's more emotionally involving. The ending of the story of An American in Paris frankly feels way too easy and hollow. The sets are charming, particularly the painterly fantasy ones near the end, and Gene Kelly's dancing is brilliant as ever, but this movie really has not aged well in other respects.