"An American in Paris" (1951)

An American in Paris (1951) is a meditation on artistic and personal integrity.  Can a creative person make a living with their creative accomplishments without "selling out?"  And what constitutes selling out?  The five main characters showcase different approaches to this issue.

Henri Baurel (Georges Guetary) is a successful singer and entertainer.  He sings what audiences like, he enjoys entertaining, and he makes good money this way.  

Henri possesses not only artistic integrity -- he does what he enjoys -- but personal integrity too.  As the story progresses, we learn that he was involved in the French Resistance during WWII, and we see him put someone else's needs and desires ahead of his own.  Henri has found the perfect balance of artistic and personal integrity, and he's such a wholesome character.

Adam Cook (Oscar Levant) has spent years and years living off a succession of grants while he writes a symphony.  The same symphony.  He never finishes it.  It's as if he's decided that, if he never finishes the symphony, it can't be performed, and he can't fail.  Adam thinks he's preserving his music and his talent by never allowing himself to fail, but he actually has lost his artistic integrity because he's betraying his music by never sharing it.  

Adam has some personal integrity, though, as he's loyal to his friends and helps them out when he can.  But he's been putting safety ahead of success for too long.  He's squandering his talent and his abilities, and he makes me sad.

Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly) wants to sell his paintings and make a living with his art, but his work hasn't gotten much attention.  He's had a lot of artistic integrity simply because nobody has given him any chance to "sell out."  But then, he meets Milo Roberts (Nina Foch).  

Milo not only buys a couple of Jerry's paintings, she also offers to be his patroness by talking him up to various art critics and dealers and even arranging an art show for him.  That's all well and good, but, in return, she clearly wants... Jerry himself.  Jerry has to decide if his personal integrity is worth trading for getting his art noticed, and if trading himself for success will tarnish his artistic integrity in the process.

Milo does not value herself very highly.  She thinks the best way to get what she wants is by buying it, whether it's artwork or clothing or male companionship.  Milo is a classic "poor little rich girl" who has grown up believing that her wealth is the most important thing about her, and that everyone must be just as fascinated by it as she is.  She kids herself that she uses her money to help others, but she's really just trying to buy herself the next boyfriend, over and over.  

Poor Milo has no personal or artistic integrity, and she doesn't seem to learn anything about them by the end of the film.  All she learns is that some men can't be bought.

Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron) is a young, innocent dancer who doesn't even try to earn money with her dancing.  Her dancing is just for her, not something she wants to monetize.  She works at a perfume store.  But she has plenty of personal integrity to begin with -- she stands up for herself repeatedly when Jerry somewhat overbearingly pursues her.  Eventually, she realizes he's actually a nice guy who just happens to have poor interpersonal skills, he's not actually a bullying womanizer.  Then she starts to lose her hold on her personal integrity -- although she's falling in love with Jerry, she keeps company with Henri too, out of a sense of obligation.  

When Henri asks her to marry him, she accepts without telling him about Jerry, then keeps seeing Jerry without telling him about Henri.  Lise's abandonment of her personal integrity eventually causes a great deal of heartache not only for her, but for others as well.  Not everyone in this movie gets a happy ending, and that's largely because of Lise's hesitating to be honest with both of the men in her life.

Now, if that all sounds like heavy, depressing, boring stuff... it's not!  This is actually a frolicsome musical filled with joy and light and hope.  But all this very serious stuff is going on underneath the Parisian sunshine.  I think that blending of cheerful and serious is a big part of why I fell in love with this movie when I was in my early teens, and why it's remained one of my absolute favorite musicals ever since.  The musings on what it means to be true to yourself and your abilities were very important to me when I was in my teens, as I'm sure they are for many people.

This movie made me fall in love with both George Gershwin's music and Gene Kelly's dancing.  And I haven't ever stopped loving them.  They're both so full of energy and life -- I don't think I have ever seen Kelly's dancing style so perfectly accompanied as it is by Gershwin's songs.  

Is this movie family friendly?  Pretty much.  There's some kissing.  Milo clearly wants Jerry, physically, but it's pretty obvious she only ever gets a kiss or two out of him.  There's no cussing, there's no violence, and there's no smut, though the "artist's ball" toward the end gets almost bacchanalian... but not quite.   

This has been my contribution to the Great Muppet Guest Star Caper hosted by Taking Up Room and Realweegiemidget Reviews.  I hope you've enjoyed it!

And, if you're a fan of classic Hollywood, I invite you to sign up for my Shades of Shane blogathon that I'll be hosting in April :-)