Picture 24: An American in Paris (1951)

1951 arrives with a splash of colour! For the first time since Gone with the Wind, colour film appears and it feels like the present day is coming ever closer #just72moreyears. The tradition of this blog to launch phenomenal acting careers is yet again maintained as the great Gene Kelly appears.

This man is from another planet. He has something about him that warms your heart and calms your mind. He talks, sings and dances in a way that seems to make the world okay again. It is a rare skill and much like Clark Gable, Lawrence Olivier, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Joan Fontaine who came before him on this blog - you understand why these people took Hollywood and, to a large extent, the entire global culture by storm.

Gene plays Jerry - a WW2 veteran trying to make his way as an artist in Paris. Despite sometimes woeful occupational, financial, housing and romantic struggles, he maintains a positivity and happy-go-lucky attitude that warms all around him in his Parisian community. He isn’t overly positive so as to be foolish but, for the most part, is just happy to be alive and there is a lot that we can all learn from this.

With all that said, one man alone cannot make a movie. It’s a team effort and that’s where 1952 starts to struggle a little. The plot itself does enough to maintain only modest entertainment values. The extended dance scenes, whilst impressive on scale, become dull after a few minutes of viewing. At one point, someone dressed as a giant toilet brush is dancing around in the background. It is reassuring at least to know that humans were crazy back then too.

Gene alone carries this film from mediocrity to acceptability. It goes for a 7.

Rating:

7/10

Reflections:

1. Positivity is a choice.

Oscar Best Picture Rankings:

1. Casablanca (1943)

2. Rebecca (1940)

3. Lost Weekend (1945)

4. All About Eve (1950)

5. Hamlet (1948)

6. How Green Was My Valley (1941)

7. Gone With the Wind (1939)

8. Mrs. Miniver (1942)

9. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

10. Wings (1928)

11. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

12. You can’t take it with you (1938)

13. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

14. Cimarron (1931)

15. Grand Hotel (1932)

16. An American in Paris (1951)

17. It Happened One Night (1934)

18. Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

19. Cavalcade (1933)

20. The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

21. Going My Way (1944)

22. The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

23. All the King’s Men (1949)

24. The Broadway Melody (1929)

Previous or current leaders are in bold.

With credit and thanks to the patrons of the Best Picture Film Club:

Dr Sophie Bloomfield

Dr Caspar Briault

Dr Fionnuala Durrant