In fin-de-ciecle Paris, a young woman rebels against her family's attempts to groom her as a courtesan.
Gigi is based on a novella by Colette, an influential and acclaimed writer known for her insightful depictions of romance and sexuality. While a French adaptation of the novel had been filmed in the mid 1940's, it was the idea of producer Arthur Freed to turn it into a musical, this time bypassing the standard practice of transforming a successful Broadway hit and going straight to a movie version. Freed was a vaudeville singer, pianist, and songwriter who rose up through the ranks at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios to be given his own production unit in charge of musicals. Freed's recruitment of major Broadway players and his openness to experimentation within the form led to some of the most groundbreaking and memorable films of the studio era (Singin' In The Rain, Meet Me In St. Louis, Annie Get Your Gun, An American In Paris), and created some of MGM's biggest stars.
Director Vincente Minnelli also came from the theatre, where he worked as a set and costume designer as well as director. He was brought on board at MGM by Freed in the early 1940's, and married his leading lady Judy Garland after their collaboration on Meet Me In St. Louis. Minnelli proved himself adept at both comedies and melodramas, but made his biggest mark on cinema with his nine musicals produced within the Freed unit. Unlike Minnelli's previous collaboration with Freed set in Paris, Gigi would actually be filmed on location in the city
Songwriting team Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe (My Fair Lady, Brigadoon, Camelot), wielded much power in the production, making significant demands of Freed to ensure their participation. In addition to the authenticity of the location shoot, the duo had a significant say in everything from casting to the film's editing. Lerner favored Audrey Hepburn for the title role (having been hand-picked for a recent successful stage production of Gigi by Colette herself), but eventually Leslie Caron, a native Parisian who had her breakout role in Freed and Minnelli's An American In Paris, was chosen. Starring alongside Caron are Louis Jourdan and musical legend Maurice Chevalier (both French), British actress Hermione Gringold, and Hungarian actress Éva Gábor (sister of Zsa-Zsa).
The screenplay (also by Lerner) was still worked on as production ensued in Paris. Making significant changes to the original story, Lerner explored the sexual politics of the time period and lent an explicit critical perspective on courtesanship. Brought on board was iconic Broadway designer Cecil Beaton, who oversaw the costumes as well as the sets. Filming on location also took place in the famous Paris restaurant Maxim's. The production then moved to Hollywood to shoot most of the interior scenes.
Post-production involved re-shoots done at the insistence of Lerner and Loewe, who would eventually buy a percentage of the film to see it to completion. The film was a critical and box office sensation, eventually becoming Minnelli's biggest hit. It won all nine Academy Awards it was nominated for (the highest tally in Oscar history at that point), including Best Picture, Direction, Screenplay, Costumes, and Cinematography. Lerner, Lowe, and Beaton would all go on to collaborate on the screen version of My Fair Lady, but for a different studio. Freed would release one more musical for MGM, but Gigi stands as his final large traditional production.
Running time is approx. 2 hours.
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