Gigi

"Thank heaven for Gigi"

1958 1h 55m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 360

ComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A home, a motorcar, servants, the latest fashions: the most eligible and most finicky bachelor in Paris offers them all to Gigi. But she, who's gone from girlish gawkishness to cultured glamour before our eyes, yearns for that wonderful something money can't buy.

“Thank heaven for Gigi”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Leslie Caron
Gigi
Maurice Chevalier
Honoré Lachaille
Louis Jourdan
Gaston Lachaille
Hermione Gingold
Madame Alvarez
Eva Gabor
Liane D'Exelmans
Jacques Bergerac
Sandomir
Isabel Jeans
Aunt Alicia
John Abbott
Manuel

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Vincente Minnelli
Writers: Alan Jay Lerner
Languages: French, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.0× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

68 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Vincente Minnelli, shot by Joseph Ruttenberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Adrienne Fazan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Leslie Caron and Maurice Chevalier and Louis Jourdan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Thank heaven for Gigi".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Vincente Minnelli directs. Joseph Ruttenberg behind the camera. Adrienne Fazan cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 4.0× over at the box office.
368 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
5Directed by Vincente Minnelli, shot by Joseph Ruttenberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Adrienne Fazan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Leslie Caron and Maurice Chevalier and Louis Jourdan carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Thank heaven for Gigi".
9IMDB entry: tt0051658 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 16 themes, including "paris, france", "based on novel or book", "jewelry", "courtesan".

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph Ruttenberg
Editing: Adrienne Fazan
Production design: Cecil Beaton
Costume design: Cecil Beaton
Makeup / hair: Sydney Guilaroff
Runtime: 115 min · 1h 55m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,319,355
Box office: $13,200,000
Return: 398% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: Gigi (1958)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Color
Academy Award for Best Original Musical Score
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Academy Award for Best Film Editing
Academy Award for Best Production Design
Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
Academy Award for Best Director
Academy Award for Best Costume Design
Academy Award for Best Picture

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Vincente Minnelli

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-01-02
Thank heavens, for musicals. Based on Anita Loos' play, out of the novel written by Colette, Gigi snatched a ream of Academy Awards and promptly became the course of much debate and criticism for ever and a day it seems. The problem, as most musical aficionados will attest, is that Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe rehashed their previous stage hit "My Fair Lady". Which to an extent is true, hell they even slotted in one of "My Fair Lady's" thrown away songs, "Say A Prayer For Me Tonight", into Gigi's bubbly mix. But on its own terms, Gigi is still a vibrant and rewarding picture that holds up well with each passing year. The story had already been done as a French film directed by Jacqueline Audry in 1950, and a year later it had been played dramatically straight on Broadway with Audrey Hepburn in the title role. So for sure it was already a well formed story. Lerner & Loewe merely added their "Fair Lady" formula, got the talented Vincente Minnelli to direct it and broke out from the studio to utilise the Parisian locations. A touch heavy at almost two hours long, one still can't help getting wrapped up in some wonderful tunes and Cecil Beaton's gorgeous period costumes. The cast may be a mixed bunch, with it at times feeling like a competition to see who can be the most "French," but with the spiky dialogue being wry and tart, and one of "those" finales, it's a winner and highly recommended to fans of the musical genre. 7/10

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