*The Warlock appears on screen in a black tuxedo. He’s holding a champagne glass of Dr. Pepper*
W: Welcome ladies and gentlemen to a special day of sorts here at Warlock’s Movie Realm. Today we finish off Oscar’s Month with the movie that won Best Picture in 1958 and we celebrate our 400th episode special. Reluctantly my father has joined me for this one.
*The Grand Wizard is in the recliner*
Wi: Since its your special, was I going to say no?
W: Why is my dad reluctant? Well the movie isn’t really our style. Today we close out Oscar’s Month with GIGI, the musical romantic comedy starring Leslie Caron. Basically the French aristocrat version of Grease.
Wi: For those that are too young to remember, this was a bubblegum movie taking home the Oscar.
*Warlock takes his seat in the middle of the couch*
W: Since its the last one on the list, we may as well get it over with and end Oscar’s Month once and for all. Let’s get started with GIGI.
Written by Alan Jay Lerner, Colette and Niven Busch
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Cast:
Gigi (Leslie Caron)
Honore Lachaille (Maurice Chevalier)
Gaston Lachaille (Louis Jourdan)
Madame Alvarez (Hermione Gingold)
Liane D’Exelmans (Eva Gabor)
Sandomir (Jacques Bergerac)
Aunt Alicia (Isabel Jeans)
Manuel (John Abbott)
Maxim’s Girls (Marie-Helene Arnaud, Anne-Marie Mersen)
Waiter (Jack Ary)
Boy (Daniel Aube)
Harlequin (Richard Bean)
Gentleman (Cecil Beaton)
Maitre D (Jacques Bertand)
Patron (Paul Cristo)
Secretary (Hubert De Lapparent)
Horseback Girl (Cilly Feindt)
Charles (Edwin Jerome)
Young Lady (Corinne Marchand)
Prince Berensky (Maurice Marsac)
Guest (Bernard Musson)
Designer (Dorothy Neumann)
Monsieur Lachaille (Jean Ozenne)
Mannequin (Maruja Plose)
Pierre (Roger Saget)
Blonde (Pat Sheehan)
Redhead (Marilyn Simms)
Simone (Lydia Steven)
Coachman (Jack Trevan)
Henri (Francois Valorbe)
Showgirl (Monique Van Vooren)
Gigi’s Voice (Betty Wand)
Lifeguard (Leroy Winebrenner)
*Warlock reads the tag-line*
W: “Weary of the convention of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship, but it may not stay platonic for long.”
Wi: Oh this is going to be just riveting.
*Opening credits*
W: After all the black an white movies I’ve done this month, so grateful for color to be the norm now.
Wi: Unless you didn’t have a color TV then.
*Move opens in France with aristocrats enjoying a day at the park*
Wi: Look at those outfits.
W: That can’t be real.
Wi: They were.
*Honore greets us watching*
W: Breaking the fourth wall.
*Honore says we’re not actually in this century but he’s here to tell the story*
W: Least he had the decency to tell us.
*Honore says women usually don’t get married. Some lady flirts with a guy with a long beard*
W: Heh.
*Schoolgirls play as Honore says someday they’ll be married or unmarried*
W: Unless they die young.
Wi: Beat me to it.
*Honore sings Thank Heaven For Little Girls*
W: An old white guy singing about little girls would be considered creepy today.
Wi: It was creepy then!
*Gigi plays with the other girls as Honore continues to sing*
W: Good thing about musicals is the songs take off the run-time.
*Gigi drops her books and Honore hands them back. Gigi runs home to her Grandma who she hugs. Grandma says her Aunt Alicia is waiting for her. Grandma tells her to dress up better before leaving*
W: What century is this supposed to be?
Wi: 19th I’d guess.
*A cat licks itself on the chair*
W: Aww der smittens.
*Gigi’s mother sings tenor*
W: I can’t do that.
Wi: Good.
W: By the way, they’re making her out to be in high school, the actress was 28.
*Gaston and Honore walk out in top hat and coattails*
W: Here’s one for the kids, the good guy is named Gaston.
Wi: Why’s that important?
W: Beauty and The Beast. The bad guy is Gaston.
*Green screen of a carriage ride between Gaston and Honore*
W: Green screen.
*Gaston is dating Liane and is bored*
W: How can you be bored dating Eva Gabor?
Wi: Yeah really.
*Gaston and Honore perform Its A Bore as they travel under the Eiffel Tower*
W: Always wanted to go there.
*Gaston visits Grandma who picks the cat up for him to sit*
W: Cat didn’t like it.
*Cat gets up and leaves as Gaston asks where Gigi is. Grandma says she’s with Alicia. Grandma tells Gaston how her family is like. Gaston sips tea and is happy to be there. She says she’s happy to see the rich benefit off the poor*
W: That didn’t sound sarcastic.
*We cut to Gigi visiting Alicia*
W: She looks like Madeline with that hat.
*Gigi greets Charles before Alicia tries to teach her how to eat properly*
W: What the hell is an Ortolan?
Wi: Its a small bird.
W: French people….eating fish eggs, snails and tiny birds and they think they’re classy.
*Gigi tell Alicia about her day. Alicia says the English refuse to learn French*
W: Ferme le bouche, madamoiselle.
Wi: Try learning Latin, bitch.
*Gigi eats the bird but the bones are still inside*
W: Why the hell would you eat the bone?
Wi: Yeah that’s stupid.
*Alicia says marriage is not forbidden, they usually don’t do it young*
W: I somewhat get it.
*Alicia says wearing expensive jewelry will make her more attractive*
W: Guess they had a lot more class in that day. Nowadays wearing a little clothes as possible gets attention.
Wi: A lot more clas.
*Alicia says kings don’t give out large stones. She also says Gigi needs a complete makeover*
W: Oh that’s going to do wonders for her confidence.
*Alicia says Gigi needs to be adept at cigars. Gigi says she doesn’t smoke and Alicia says no, but men do. If she wants to please men she needs to learn which cigars are the best*
W: Ha, not everyone smokes.
*Gigi sings The Parisians to a statue*
W: That’s not her voice.
Wi: No its not, a lot of actresses had singing doubles because their voices weren’t perfect.
*Gigi dons the Madeline outfit to continue her number*
W: I gotta look it up which came first, Madeline or this.
*Gaston shows up and Gigi asks if he makes love all the time*
W: If this was supposed to be the 19th century, wait a hundred years.
*Gaston and Gigi hit up the roller rink*
W: Haha, aristocrat roller derby.
Wi: Heh.
*Gaston orders a Babotage for Gigi*
W: The what?
*Gigi calls Liane scandalous*
W: Hahaha Eva Gabor.
*Gaston asks if she talks like that in front of her grandmother*
W: Its not like she screamed fuck you.
*Gigi says she most go and runs out as Gaston looks disgusted. Liane joins Gaston after Gigi leaves and Gaston tips the waiter. Liane says her waltz instructor sucks*
W: French people…
*Honore narrates what’s going on. There’s a party at Maxim’s and all the hot ladies are in attendance*
W: Love how anyone that looks remotely attractive are showing their shoulders, cleavage and arching their necks while Gigi was dressed as a schoolmarm.
*Ensemble performs Gossip*
W: Horrible Amour, hahahahahha
Wi: Bless her little heart.
*Gaston looks bored*
W: He warned us that he was bored.
*Liane pays attention and schmoozes with everyone but Gaston. He performs She Is Not Thinking of Me*
W: What? You were bored anyway.
*Manuel gives Honore a shave*
W: I think that’s Lipschitz.
Wi: What?
W: John Abbot.
Wi: Ohhh, the actor.
*Honore, Manuel and Gaston perform Its A Bore again*
W: This again?
*Gaston and Honore ride a little mini car*
W: Imagine one of those today.
Wi: My old truck would smash that thing to pieces.
*Gaston and Honore spot Liane kissing another man. Gaston says she never kissed him like that. Gaston and Honore grab the guy*
W: Beat him up! Make the movie interesting.
*Gaston and Honore bribe him with 1,000 francs to go away. He takes the deal*
W: Hahaha gets the heave ho but richer.
*Gaston tells Liane goodbye*
W: Good on him.
*Liane screams and it makes the newspaper that Gaston dumped her. Alicia tells Grandma that Liane committed suicide again*
W: Wait, again?
Wi: This just got interesting.
*Alicia says Liane tried to poison herself but failed*
W: Suicide Chump by Frank Zappa comes to mind.
*Gaston, Honore and Manuel celebrate Gaston dumping Liane*
W: Ha, they’re gonna party.
*Honore says Gaston needs to go out and let loose, a girl every night*
W: Ha.
*Gaston has a huge party including a woman on horseback riding around*
W: Hahaha what’s with the horse?
*Gaston has a parade where a woman has flowers throw at him. His date is highly allergic*
W: Okay, this finally got funny.
*Gaston hosts a Masquerade ball, Honore is the devil. Gaston is falling asleep*
W: He said he was bored.
*Gaston posts he’ bought the Opera and Gigi wants to go. Right on cue Gaston walks in asking where her grandmother is*
W: If they’re going to set up a potential love plot. Gaston is 38 and she’s 28 but she’s supposed to be a schoolgirl.
*Grandma is in the middle of making dinner and Gaston says it smells great*
W: Better than a lard omelette.
*Gaston says he has a manicure every morning*
W: If he ever had to be a farmer he’d have a tractor run himself over.
*Grandma says Gigi takes advantage of him and Gaston doesn’t mind*
W: As long as its not the other way around.
*Gigi and Gaston play cards*
W: I doubt Texas Hold Em was played in 19th century France.
Wi: No, it wasn’t.
W: What are they playing?
Wi: Looks like Bridge.
*If Gaston loses, he takes Grandma and Gigi on a date. She wants a glass of bubbly but Grandma says no as she hands a glass to Gaston. When Grandma leaves the room, Gaston slides his glass over so she can take a swig*
W: Hahahaha good one.
*Gaston goes over strategy and Gigi still wins the game. She jumps on him and says they’re going to Trouville. Grandma says they don’t have to go as Gigi pours herself a glass and drinks it. Gaston calls her an outrageous brat and smacks her ass*
W: He could do that in those days, right?
Wi: I wouldn’t recommend it but I guess.
*The trio perform The Night They Invented Champagne*
Wi: Another song…
*Gigi and Grandma swing dance before Gaston cuts in with Grandma*
W: I’m gonna have this stuck in my head.
*Gaston and Gigi frolic in the water in their clothes*
W: Did the French not have bathing suits?
*Honore says he’s on important business. He checks out a woman playing tennis. Gigi and Gaston play as well*
W: She’s out there looking like Martina Navaratalova and he’s out there looking like an actor.
*Gaston and Gigi ride donkeys*
W: Look at her ass.
Wi: Ain’t it a beut?
*Honore sits with Grandma and Grandma says the woman he was checking out wasn’t his type. She says Gigi is her granddaughter and Gaston is a dear man. Honore says he hasn’t seen him this chipper in years. They look at each other and reminisce on old times. Honore is still miffed she left him for the Austrian Count. Honore an Grandma perform I Remember It Well*
W: At least in these days actors and actresses could act, sing and dance. Triple threats are rare these days.
*Alicia wants to talk to Grandma, she’s concerned about Gigi. Alicia says it was a great mistake and says Gigi is falling for Gaston without actually saying so. Alicia says Gigi spent the weekend with Gaston. Grandma had no idea or even thought about it*
W: If the age gap was real, I can see why Alicia would be upset.
*Alicia says the solution is to train Gigi with work and lessons. Gigi is a klutz and drops the coffee pot. Alicia wants Gigi to answer the door like a lady. “Not like a marionette”
W: Hahahahahaha
*Alicia shows Gigi how to sit, stand and drink properly. “Dooooon’t gulp it!”
W: Hahahaha.
*Alicia tells her how to savor the aroma and the taste, Alicia downs her third glass and is clearly buzzed*
W: You asked for that one.
*Alicia and Gigi pick out cigars and sniff them*
Wi: I never understood that part.
W: Me neither.
*Alicia, Grandma and Gigi watch house maids run around and model clothes*
W: Are they supposed to be showing outfits Gigi is to wear?
*Gigi is dressed ridiculous. Next frame is Gaston visiting Gigi and Grandma. He has a present for her but she runs away. Grandma says everything is wrong with her. She ask how his trip was before going to make him tea. Gigi walks out in an elegant gown and says it took 47 yards of material to make her dress. Gaston says she looks like an organ grinder’s monkey*
W: Hahahahahaha.
*Gaston says the collar makes her look like a giraffe. Gigi tells him he has no taste in fashion and he gets up and leaves. Grandma is horrified and is disappointed she was rude to him*
W: He deserved it.
*Gigi looks out the window and Gaston has a change of heart*
W: Oh I can’t stay mad, get back here!
*Gaston apologizes and invites her out for tea. Gigi says they’re going out but Grandma says no and sends her to her room. She wants to talk to Gaston alone and Gaston says the mood around there has changed. Grandma says Gigi’s mother can’t take of her so Grandma has to. Grandma says if it was up to her, she wouldn’t care but everyone else thinks they’re an item. Grandma says anyone that goes out with him will get people talking. She doesn’t want Gigi to be just another girl. Gaston gets pissed and Grandma says she’ll only allow Gigi to be with a man that can take of her. Gaston gets angry and says Gigi shouldn’t be married to just anyone and he yells that she shouldn’t project her misery on others. Gaston storms out “What rubbish!”
Wi: I feel a song coming on.
W: You called it.
*Gaston asks Pierre the driver if he looks upset. He walks into the middle of the street and goes into his Soliloquy*
W: He’s making it sound like she’s a child.
*Gaston calls her a clumsy child without a shape*
W: He’s trying to convince himself she’s just a kid.
*Gaston goes into Gigi*
W: Now he’s falling for her.
*Gaston wants to talk to Grandma alone. Then we cut to Alicia in the bath talking to Grandma. Gaston told Grandma he’ll do everything to take care of her. Gaston says Alicia and Grandma are to bring their lawyer to meet his to draw up papers*
W: As in a legal guardian?
*Gaston tell Gigi that he wants her to be his mistress. She says she’ll have to sleep in his bed and Gaston feels sheepish. She doesn’t want to because she doesn’t want to be another notch on his gun like the women who stole from him or got dumped. She doesn’t want to be publicly humiliated then have to find another man*
W: I see what she means.
*Gigi still wants to be friends and Gaston starts to feel bad. Gaston admits he loves her*
W: Drops a bombshell with 25 minutes left.
*Gigi calls him a wicked man for admitting he love her knowing what will happen to her. She starts crying and Grandma runs in wondering what’s happened. Gigi runs off and Gaston calls her out for teaching her about how relationships are vulgar but not true love and kindness*
W: This was supposed to be the 19th century, people still haven’t figured it out in the 21st century either.
*Gaston yells at Grandma that kindness and generosity exist too and storms out. Gaston runs out and vents to Honore about how the next generation is going to wreck everything*
W: Ha, it gets worse every generation.
*Gaston is jealous that Honore is older and doesn’t have to worry about what he himself goes through anymore. He vents that Gigi turned him down and Honore says she’s gone mad*
W: Guys still hate being rejected.
*Honore says Gaston did everything right and she’s not worth it. Gaston makes a face*
W: Ha, look at his face.
Wi: Like he ate a snail.
*Honore says he’s going to hook him up with a redhead*
W: Sounds good to me.
*Honore chuckles to himself when Gaston leaves. He goes on a monologue*
Wi: I feel a song comin on…
W: Here we go again.
*Honore performs I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore*
W: Are you glad you’re not young anymore?
Wi: Hell no.
*Honore finishes his number*
W: Good news is we only have 17 minutes left now.
*Alicia runs around her house and tell Charles she’s going out. Alicia confronts Grandma about Gigi turning down Gaston as Gigi’s mom sings*
W: I wish they’d explain that more.
*Alicia scolds Grandma for not showing Gigi what love is. Alicia rants about Grandma and Gigi being fools when the doorbell rings. Gaston shows up and says Gigi sent him a note that she wants to see him. He greets Alicia and Grandma before Gigi appears in normal clothes. Gigi says she’d rather be miserable with him than without then goes back in her room. Gaston leaves*
W: What the hell was that?
Wi: In other words, “soon I’ll be ready.”
*Gaston gets spiffy for a big date as Gigi sings Say A Prayer For With Me Tonight*
W: For what? She’s in the driver’s seat. He won’t make a move without her say so.
*Gigi holds her cat*
W: Awww der smitens.
*Gigi walks out in an immaculate dress*
W: Jesus.
Wi: Looking good, getting better.
*At Maxim’s, everyone stops when Gigi walks in with Gaston. Everyone checks them out as Gaston wants to go to Siena. Gigi says she wants to hit up a casino and she pours coffee for him. The waiter pulls a box of cigars out and Gigi listens to them before lighting one for him. People laugh at Madame Dunard. Her pearls are dipped*
W: Dipped?
*Honore says hi to Gaston and Gigi before realizing its her*
W: Ha.
*Gigi and Gaston dance but she feels something in his breast pocket. He says its a present for her but she says she’ll wait until after the dance. After the dance Gaston pulls out a long box full of emeralds*
W: Charming.
*Gaston tells Gigi to have a lady help her put them on as Honore runs over and asks what changed. Gaston tells him to keep it on the down low. Honore figures out why Gaston is so bored, he was dating women, not girls. Gaston gets up and leaves*
W: He’s making him sound like a pedophile.
*Gaston grabs Gigi and wants to leave. Everyone gossips as Gaston leads Gigi home despite her begging not to. Gaston brings Gigi home and he cries in Grandma’s arms. Gaston storms away and stands in front of a giant fountain*
W: He’s gonna ponder life.
*Gaston goes back to Gigi’s place and rings the doorbell. Grandma lets him in and tells him no scandals please. Gaston asks her permission to take Gigi’s hand in marriage. She smiles an we cut to Honore singing Thank Heaven For Little Girls*
W: We’re gonna end with that?
*Gigi and Gaston greet a bunch of random pedestrian before riding off in a carriage. Honore winks at us, THE END*
Wi: About damn time.
The Grand Wizard has no assessment
The Warlock’s Assessment: This is a tough one because it was a fun little musical but at the same time it was about a grown man falling for a teenager. Not only that but the teenager’s mother was brushed off as insane and barely spoken about. Good luck getting away with doing a movie like this now. I give it a 7 because the songs were catchy and the storyline was easy to follow, even if it would be creepy by today’s standard.
Final Grade: 7 out of 10 – Great
*Warlock rises from the couch*
W: That was GIGI and good grief that was bizarre. I know in those days marriage was more about companionship than sex so having such an age gap wasn’t uncommon but still. Once again the actors were well above age so suspending disbelief was easy, but they still had a grown man romance a teenager. At least it wasn’t as dark or as bloody as Lolita, that’s for sure. It was a musical so no squawking about the acting, epecially since everyone played their roles well. It was a 2 hour movie but didn’t feel like it. Now….after 31 movies, most of which were BREATHTAKING long, I need a break. It was a fun ride to go from silent films to color and most of the time the movies were really good. I should do this annually. Its also interesting to note that all the movies from 1930 to 1934 were either about the past or set in Europe to avoid the great depression going on in the states. Then It Happened One Night didn’t even mention it before we went back to the past from 1935-37. Then the opposite happened once World War 2 went in effect, EVERY movie had to have some elements of the war. Then once the calendar turned to the 50’s, all sorts of different themed movie popped up as if the US had finally settled down. With that this officially ends Oscar’s Month here at Warlock’s Movie Realm, now get outta here before I give ya a slap!
Warlock's Movie Realm 