Product Description

In turn-of-the-century Paris a young girl, Gigi, is being groomed by her grandmother to become a courtesan.
Genre: Musicals
Rating: G
Release Date: 2-MAY-2000
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13302 in DVD
• Brand: CARON,LESLIE
• Released on: 2000-05-02
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 116 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's 1958 direct-to-screen follow-up to their My Fair Lady was--miraculously--every bit as memorable as that stage smash. Set in fin-de-siècle Paris and based on a Colette story, Gigi also is about a girl (Leslie Caron) on a lower rung of society who blossoms into Cinderellahood before our eyes and ears. Thank heaven for Hermione Gingold and Maurice Chevalier as her mentors, and Louis Jourdan as her prince. The screenplay writer and lyricist Lerner always said that Gigi's title song was his favorite of all he'd written, and it's easy to see why--"Gigi" is a transcendent anthem to being transformed by love from an unexpected source. The entire score, including "Say a Prayer" (which had been cut from My Fair Lady), "I Remember It Well," "The Night They Invented Champagne," and "Thank Heaven for Little Girls," comprise a sparkling, rare soundtrack recording that stands alone and can be enjoyed and understood by those who have not yet seen the movie, deprived souls that they are. The winner of nine Academy Awards (plus a special Oscar for Chevalier), including Best Picture, Gigi was the last great MGM movie musical and one of the best. --Robert Windeler

Customer Reviews

Blu Ray available at Amazon.de
FYI. An American in Paris, Gigi and Quo Vadis (1951) were released
in Germany and can be ordered from Amazon.de. PQ is excelent and BD
are region free.

Minelli's Masterpiece: Gigi (2-Disc Spec. Ed.)
Gigi has always been my favorite musical and this 2-Disc edition brings it vibrantly to life. Every time I see this film, I marvel at Leslie Caron's performance: With only two films to her credit before this, she is absolutely delightful as Gigi and, as the commentator notes, it was crucial that the role be played by an actress who could carry off the gauche, impetuous schoolgirl as well as the glamorous, elegant woman that she becomes. Caron does both beautifully and imbues her with a delightful spirit that makes you never doubt why Louis Jourdan's Gaston falls madly for her. The script is also above-par, brilliantly mixing comedy with more serious moments and the musical numbers move the story forward, instead of bringing it to a crashing halt. The making of documentary is well-made and informative (it includes anecdotes from Ms. Caron) and helps you to understand just how much love, effort and attention to detail went into this sumptuous film, the last great musical from MGM.

Gigi Two disc special edition
I love this ... and I'm not finished watching it. The subtitles of French version of Gigi many times couldn't be read because they're white on white. It would have been nice if someone would have thought of this and put them on a black background. All in all, well worth the purchase. Watching the commentary on the movie is a must.