An Academy Award winner for Best Picture, this stars Gene Kelly as Jerry Mulligan, a struggling Yankee artist living in the title city. Jerry agrees to allow his work to be promoted by society woman Milo Roberts (Nina Foch), who clearly has an interest in more than just his paintings. Unfortunately for her, he’s smitten by a lithe Parisian girl named Lise (Leslie Caron) who, unfortunately for him, happens to be engaged to a popular singer (Georges Guetary). Oscar Levant adds the comic relief as Kelly’s sad-sack best friend, while George and Ira Gershwin provide the classic tunes — the climactic “An American in Paris Ballet” sequence is the film’s most famous, though I’ve always had a soft spot for Kelly singing “I Got Rhythm” with the assistance of a group of children. Still, the story is awfully thin, Jerry’s treatment of Milo leaves a bad taste in the mouth, and Kelly and Caron don’t exactly set off fireworks as a couple (Kelly would find a much better match the following year with Debbie Reynolds in Singin’ in the Rain). This won a total of six Oscars, with Kelly also receiving a special award that year for his versatility as an actor, singer, director, and dancer.
— Matt Brunson
- Directed by: Vincent Minnelli
- Produced by: Arthur Freed: Roger Edens
- Written by: Alan Jay Lerner
- Music by: Conrad Sallinger
- Cinematography by: Alfred Gilks
- Editing by: Adrienne Fazan
- Release date: 1954
- Run time:114 minutes.
- Language: English, French, German
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