Review of An American in Paris (1951) by Blake P — 17 Aug 2011

What a masterpiece! This is one of those movies where you finish and just say, wow. Gene Kelly is one of the best dancers of our generation. He beats Fred Astaire by a landslide, and his choreography beats all.

"An American in Paris" was something I didn't always hear about as a movie, because it's also a stage musical by the unbeatable Gershwin brothers George and Ira. I'm glad it got made into a film, because this is an unforgettable movie for generations to come.

What's so unique about Gene Kelly's musicals is how much more well known they are than most, even the Astaire and Rogers aren't as talked about as "Singin' in the Rain". It shocks me that back in the '40's when Kelly was just starting, his phenomenal musicals were beat out by the silly Technicolor musicals filled with Betty Grable, Alice Faye, Don Ameche, and others.

Today it shows how long it took for people to finally realize what a genius he was. In her first starring role, Leslie Caron seemed to have sent a message out to the world. She's very talented, and perfect for this part.

Though highly underrated today, if only everybody could see this, she'd be like Louise Brooks. This musical is big-budget and colorful like "Singin' in the Rain", and while that's flamboyant and almost neon-looking, this one has more of a French look which I'm glad they emphasized so highly on.

Vincente Minnelli is always considered one of the best directors of our time, and here it's easy to see why. I have noticed all of his movies he picks everything out perfectly and DOES everything perfectly, and with musicals that can be tricky with crowds-- they seem to like the stupid pointless ones more than the two-hour epics that are so much better, like this one.

Luckily it was a success. "An American in Paris" in a great movie, and any fan of the flamboyant Technicolor musicals of the day with appreciate it.