An American In Paris
Clip | 3m 56sVideo has Closed Captions
Sometimes Vincente Minnelli had to share directing duties. Mikayla Daniels has more.
There were multiple occasions where Vincente Minnelli had to turn over his directing duties to actor Gene Kelly because of his on going divorce. Host Mikayla Daniels has more!
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
SATURDAY NIGHT CINEMA is a local public television program presented by KSPS PBS
An American In Paris
Clip | 3m 56sVideo has Closed Captions
There were multiple occasions where Vincente Minnelli had to turn over his directing duties to actor Gene Kelly because of his on going divorce. Host Mikayla Daniels has more!
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Where to Watch SATURDAY NIGHT CINEMA
SATURDAY NIGHT CINEMA is available to stream on pbs.org and the PBS app.
Welcome to my web comments.
I'm Mikayla Daniels here with a bit more about the Saturday Night Cinema broadcast of “An American in Paris” from 1951.
Our longtime viewers know that I am not a fan of musicals, but this is one that I did study as part of my film education.
The film is one of the most stunning musicals ever produced.
It features a score by American musical icon George Gershwin and dance performances by the talented Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron.
The film tells the story of Jerry Mulligan, a struggling American painter in postwar Paris, in love with a young French woman already engaged to a cabaret singer.
The film did win an Oscar.
It beat out the critically acclaimed tragedy A place in the sun and the film adaptation of Tennessee Williams Pulitzer Prize winning play A Streetcar Named Desire.
Back then, the Oscars were broadcast on the radio, so there was no red carpet to watch on TV.
Now, remember that in the 50s, there was a slow transition from black and white to color, and Technicolor pictures were still a relative rarity in Hollywood in 1951.
Nearly every review mentioned that An American in Paris was filmed in Technicolor, which was renowned for its highly saturated color.
An American in Paris was only the second color film to win Best Picture Oscar after Gone with the Wind.
Even though Vincente Minnelli is credited as the sole director.
He was sometimes tied up with his divorce from Judy Garland and other directing projects, leaving Gene Kelly to take over the directing duties, much to the dismay of the cast and crew.
Minnelli and Garland are the parents of musical and acting legend Liza Minnelli, who would have been around 5 or 6 years old at the time of this production.
This film is noted not just for its use of color, but for the music and dance choreography.
The film is noted for being groundbreaking with its 17 minute final ballet sequence.
George Gershwin's jazz infused arrangement, titled An American in Paris, was inspired by his own experiences in Paris in the 1920s, which was a time when many artists were living and working there.
The composition premiered in 1928 at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and it became one of Gershwin's best known pieces, performed by orchestras regularly throughout the 1930s and 40s.
The composition inspired the movie, and its famous final dance sequence is set to it.
Hollywood producer Arthur Freed attended a concert of George Gershwin's An American in Paris, to which Gershwin composed in 1928 to portray an American visitor in Paris.
Now, Gershwin died of a brain tumor in 1938 at the young age of 37.
Freed bought the rights to Gershwin's An American in Paris composition from his brother Ira Gershwin for just over 158,000.
After seeing it performed in concert, Ira insisted that the piece be surrounded exclusively by Gershwin compositions, and he penned the now familiar movie lyrics to his brother's standards, such as I Got Rhythm and Our Love Is Here to Stay.
Thank you for checking out my extended comments on Saturday Night Cinema's broadcast of An American in Paris.
And be sure to check her on our Facebook page and ksps.org for movie trivia, polls and vlogs from all the hosts as well as Movie Maverick Mike.
And don't forget to tune into Saturday Night Cinema on KSPS PBS.
Now PlayingVideo has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 56s | Sometimes Vincente Minnelli had to share directing duties. Mikayla Daniels has more. (3m 56s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 13s | Singin' In The Rain is known for it's incredible dance numbers. Host Ryan Tucker has more. (1m 13s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 27s | Host Cecelia Sutton details the events that led up to the arrest of Nelson Mandela. (3m 27s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 12s | Host Cecelia Sutton reveals the origins of parody and some famous examples. (3m 12s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 21s | Host Ryan Tucker reveals some of the trivia behind the 1950's version of Father of the Bride. (1m 21s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 42s | What the heck is a rigger?! Host Mikayla Daniels has the details. (3m 42s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 1s | Host Ryan Tucker goes for the deep cut and reveals a bit of trivia about Mickey Mouse. (3m 1s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 19s | Host Cecelia Sutton shares how Elizabeth Taylor bonded with the horse who played The Pie. (3m 19s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 46s | Francis Ford Coppola rewrote the entire script for this film. Mikayla Daniels has the details. (3m 46s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 5s | Mikayla Daniels sums up the controversy surrounding Aaron Sorkin and the casting of this film. (4m 5s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 58s | Do you know how many Oscars Ben-Hur won? Host Ryan Tucker has the details! (58s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 39s | Who was Dian Fossey and what was her impact on wildlife conservation? Mikayla Daniels has more. (3m 39s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 29s | Host Cecelia Sutton has the 'why' behind the 'Black Sox Scandal'. (3m 29s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 49s | What was the hardest part about playing Jesus? Host Ryan Tucker has the details! (49s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 59s | Which actor was considered to play Michael Collins before Neeson? Host Mikayla Daniels has more. (1m 59s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 20s | The on screen chemistry of Eugene Levy and Cathrine O'Hara is one of the many charms of this film. (3m 20s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 28s | We'll recap some of the bizarre antics of Dennis Hopper with host Ryan Tucker. (1m 28s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 21s | Much Ado was up against some steep Oscar competition in 1994, Ryan Tucker has more. (1m 21s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 36s | Host Mikayla Daniels details some of the creative production techniques employed by this film. (4m 36s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 59s | Host Cecelia Sutton takes a look at the filmography of director, Regina King. (3m 59s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 31s | Host Cecelia Sutton reveals the many films who pay homage to The Great Escape. (3m 31s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 7m 37s | Host Mikayla Daniels deep dives into the laws protecting child actors. (7m 37s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 47s | Learn about the background of the director, W.S. Van Dyke. Host Ryan Tucker has more. (1m 47s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 28s | Extra, extra, read all about it! Host Mikayla Daniels talks The Thin Man on this weeks web extra. (3m 28s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 57s | Get your move and your groove on with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! (1m 57s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 9s | The cold dilapidated interiors of Mansfield Park represent more than home in need of a remodel. (3m 9s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 33s | How did Bing Crosby and Ingrid Berman prank a priest? Host Ryan Tucker has more! (1m 33s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 12s | Costuming can often be overlooked when reviewing a film. Mikayla Daniels has the details. (4m 12s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 51s | Ryan Tucker discusses unique parallels between our feature film and the real life actress. (51s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 30s | Sit back and learn about a meta moment with Mikayla Daniels. (2m 30s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 21s | The crew gets annoyed very easily! Host Ryan Tucker has the details. (1m 21s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 15s | Balancing historical truth with what works on screen is an art in itself. Mikayla Daniels has more. (2m 15s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 8s | Writer and actor, Steve Coogan, went the extra mile for this film. Host Ryan Tucker has more! (1m 8s)
Invasion of The Body Snatchers
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 13s | Host Mikayla Daniels talks about the details of creating the Pod People effect. (4m 13s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 10s | Who did Patrick Swayze insist on being in this film with him? Host Ryan Tucker has more. (2m 10s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 43s | This film honors it's source material and pays attention to the small details. (4m 43s)
Clip | 1m 18s | The Hunt For Red October was filled with incredible practical effects! Host Ryan Tucker has more. (1m 18s)
Clip | 2m 39s | Which island nation was this movie filmed in? Host Mikayla Daniels has the scoop! (2m 39s)
Clip | 1m 45s | Let's nerd out... on movie distribution companies! Host Ryan Tucker has more. (1m 45s)
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
Clip | 2m 56s | While the title of this film sound like a James Bond film, it is not. Host Mikayla Daniels has more. (2m 56s)
Clip | 2m 39s | This film is a combination of two very different ideas, host Mikayla Daniels has more! (2m 39s)
Clip | 56s | We learn about actress Gwyneth Paltrow and her role in Proof. Host Ryan Tucker has more. (56s)
Clip | 2m 6s | Learn a little bit about the origins of romantic comedies with host Mikayla Daniels. (2m 6s)
Clip | 1m 20s | Two incredible film composers worked on this film. Host Ryan Tucker has more. (1m 20s)
Clip | 1m 26s | The worlds foremost female impersonator and the greatest comedy script of all time. (1m 26s)
Clip | 3m 22s | Lies, cons, and deceptions! Host Mikayla Daniels talks about the fabrications of Frank Abagnale Jr. (3m 22s)
Clip | 1m 57s | Take off with host Ryan Tucker as he deep dives into the world of Airplane! (1m 57s)
Clip | 1m 42s | Bill Murray gets hit from all sides in this film! Ryan Tucker has more! (1m 42s)
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
Clip | 2m 17s | Zero Mostel demanded he be given director approval for this film. Host Mikayla Daniels has more. (2m 17s)
Clip | 2m 28s | Uncover historical truth and Hollywood embellishments with Host Mikayla Daniels. (2m 28s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
Support for PBS provided by:
SATURDAY NIGHT CINEMA is a local public television program presented by KSPS PBS