Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
I watched this film the first week of the year, but because of not being sure about discussing my film challenge on this blog....and other things :P.....I haven't posted a review until now.
I went into Gigi knowing hardly anything about it. You see, I have a to-see film list, and just looking at titles I sometimes have no idea what one is, and to me it's a bit of fun to go into a film that is supposed to be good not knowing much. So when watching films off the list, I'll often get them without looking at the plots of even the cover pictures too much.
Although, I thought I knew what Gigi was about. I thought it was an old Rita Hayworth film from around the 40s, but of course I realised my mistake very soon upon starting it. (I was told by a friend that I was thinking of "Gilda")
The film is actually a 1950s musical set in Paris, and though apparently not controversial in its day, is definitely controversial looked at from a modern-day point of view.
It concerns a girl of about 16 or so living with her grandmother, who it's insinuated used to be a courtesan, as well as the grandmother's more eccentric sister who lives nearby. The grandmother is trying to raise Gigi correctly with school and such (possibly to escape the courtesan fate). The time period I'm not exactly sure, but probably somewhere in the 1800s I suppose?
The grandmother, the rich guy and Gigi
There is a man in his 30s who is extremely rich but bored with life and for some reason is friends with the poor grandmother and with Gigi. Eventually, he realises he loves Gigi and there's talk of her fate of a courtesan if she goes with him and then he dumps her, but in the end all is well and he marries her and they live happily ever after.
Obviously the controversial aspect is a guy in his 30s falling for a girl who is dressed up as if she's even younger than 16 when he's first falling for her.
The lovely couple
I'm not so big on musicals in the first place, and I thought this one was rather unextraordinary. There is one nice song set in a club where all the patrons stop to see who's coming in that's pretty interesting and creative, but the rest are rather boring and pedestrian to me.
The costumes and scenery however were fabulous, and I don't usually even notice the costumes. But these were elaborate and colourful. If you've ever seen My Fair Lady (a much superior old musical) this one was similar with its scene-stealing costumes. And it had lots of real shots of beautiful Paris (which made me annoyed at the shots that weren't real).
Gigi all dolled up
Oh, and speaking of controversial....in the beginning, the narrator, an old man who's the uncle of the rich guy, sings a song called "Thank Heaven For Little Girls". I'm serious! I am just a bit shocked that, though the 1950s were awhile ago and a different time, no one realised how that could sound, especially in a film where a guy falls in love with a teenager.
I'm no prude, and I can totally accept that something like this would easily happen in the 1800s and such...but the way the film tried to sugar-coat everything and present it as wholesome was just odd.
The lovely couple trying to catch flies in their mouths
(just kidding!)
Are you a fan of old musicals? If so, you may like this. If not, skip it.
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