OSCAR WILD DAY 5: AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)

In considering what to write about this film, I had a realization- save for a few outliers, movie musicals are not my preferred form of escapism. With the Korean War in full swing, audiences embraced that which gave them something to smile about- songs, dances, beautiful scenery, joy, love, and absolutely nothing that reminded them of war. Perhaps it was a combination of this film being a box office hit late in the year and the fact that the Academy might have been looking to continue to branch out away from the heavy serious-minded dramas that dominated the category in the late 1940s. I was encouraged to learn that I’m not the only one who feels that this film is one of the lesser-deserving Oscar winners.

World War II veteran Jerry (Gene Kelly) lives in post-war Paris, where he lives out his dream of being a painter. His meager earnings get him by, just like his musician friend Adam (Oscar Levant), also an American. Jerry’s work and charm catch the eye of an heiress named Milo (Nina Foch), who wishes to sponsor an exhibition for Jerry’s art, with undercurrents of more than just a sponsor’s relationship. But Jerry also just met the lovely young Lise (Leslie Caron), who is uninterested in Jerry at first, and is also recently engaged to Henri, a popular French singer and friend of Adam. This love triangle plays out in song and dance to the music of George Gershwin.

I think it is objective criticism to say that Jerry’s desire to coast through life as a street artist and his persistent pursuit of a much younger woman are aspects of this film that haven’t aged well. Sure, some folks think the bohemian idealism of living in poverty until the world appreciates your art is charming and kind of romantic in some way, but I see Jerry as a guy who doesn’t want to grow up and take charge of his life. Maybe it stems from his time in the war, but he doesn’t get into that. His ambition, however, comes to the fore when trying to wear down Lise’s resistance to him, a very dated notion of how romance works that I can’t get behind.

When it comes to Jerry’s relationships, I’m on team Milo. She’s right to call out Jerry’s rudeness and insensitivity. She is offering him everything he hoped for, and he seems willing to throw a golden opportunity away for a chance at a fling with a pretty young thing. Maybe I’m too boring and responsible, but this makes me less receptive of Jerry as our de facto protagonist.

There are good things about this film though. Gershwin’s music is delightful, the dance numbers are fun (even if they do go on a little long at times for my taste), and director Vincente Minnelli injects a sense of flair to the scenery and set pieces. The acting is decent enough, but the script holds everything back. There’s a much better romantic story to be told here, but the writers and filmmakers never reach beyond the low-hanging fruit option. Sure, it may please general audiences, but it’s also the reason that this film hasn’t aged well and has fallen out of the cultural consciousness. If nothing else, watching and reviewing An American in Paris makes me want to watch A Streetcar Named Desire again, because I have it rated lower than this film and I think that’s because much younger me didn’t appreciate the power of the acting in that film.

FINAL RATING: 3.25 out of 5