I'm a modern woman with contemporary ideals, but I will always be enchanted by this movie. It gives you a glimpse into such a different time and place in society, and I'll always have a distinct appreciation for that turn-of-the-century aesthetic. But the real reason this movie will always hold a special place in my heart is because it was one of my grandmother's favorite musicals. I'd call her "Grandmama!" to make her laugh, and later sang songs from the film for her while she was in the hospital with rapidly progressing cancer.
as a contemporary woman you also can relate to gigi, she's been educated to fit into the role her great-aunt and her grandmother (in short, the society) want her to accept, today we see feminists pushing specific fields onto women even if the majority of women chose less stressful careers, some, oh my god, even want to be a homemakers!
Yes this musical is fascinating. It might seem like it was glorifying a time historically when French women didn’t have much freedom, but the point of the original novel is to illustrate how ironically being a courtesan offered you more freedom then being a wife did in French society. Courtesans back then often could travel unescorted, had more freedom to experiment sexually, and were more financially independent. Collette’s novels were often about this, I’d highly recommend reading some of them.
Charles I'm going out. Order me a carriage immediately. -Charles stands there in shock that she's actually leaving the house- CHARLES!! -he legs it out of the room- always laughed at that bit lol
At that time courtesans were well-considered and socially accepted. Royals and rich men showed their power by keeping liaisons with these women, who in return obtained expensive gifts like mansions, carruages, dresses, jewels and allowances for their lifestyle. Courtesans were not ignorant at all, they were taught how to behave in society, and were surrounded by a great number of admirers, including writers, painters and musicians.
Courtesans were _not_ socially acceptable, they were banned from the 'polite society' and its establishments, for the man to bring a courtesan to, let's say, a restaurant, would cause a scandal and ruin his name, mind you, ruined reputation was very much like having a criminal record everyone knew about today. There were special places that had mixed guests or even such place like 'Maxim's' that catered to the fallen that no lady of quality would enter and even _pretend_ she never heard of it. But the courtesans were not just simple prostitutes, they had some refinement, education and knew how to entertain the rich and the famous and how to keep their secrets. Some courtesans reached incredible success due to their skills in sexual pleasures and entertainment, outshining each other and commanding huge wages in money, jewelry and property for their favors. Sadly, only a few got to enjoy comfortable life later in life as the fast lifestyle has gotten to their heads and they lost what they have accumulated through the years on gambling, shopping, drinking and narcotics.
@@jiminycriket Makes sense why Gigi didn't really want any part in that. Wonder if she, unlike most other girls, saw the lifestyle for what it really was and was like "NOPE! No thanks!"
Fun Fact: Leslie Caron had just had a baby and was nursing so they had to cover her chest up in that scotch dress. She was already married at the time of filming.
Artboxfashion: MOST Fun Fact- Leslie Caron was born in 1931 and married Theater/Film/Opera director (Sir) Peter Hall in the mid-fifties and and had two children with him. She was not some 17 year old girl as you imply. She had worked w/Vincent Minnelli (director) and Arthur Freed (producer) on the film AN AMERICAN IN PARIS when the opportunity to do GIGI came about. The first choice was Audrey Hepburn who did the play on Broadway in 1951, but declined the movie (She would later get another Lerner and Loewe musical MY FAIR LADY). Caron had played the Gigi role in the London production and while she didn’t care for Minnelli, didn’t want to pass up the chance to do GIGIas a musical even though, like Hepburn, her signing was dubbed.
Those two osprey feathers sticking straight up were a hoot, but actually very trendy at the time, so much so that the sale of them was halted by governments. The birds were hunted almost to the brink of extinction.
@@starababa1985 Poor things. If I do get it I'll only get the fake feathers or a second hand copy of that hat so that no other birds have to die and loose their feathers, poor things.
Not really no. I suppose her mother (Gigi's grandmother) would use her running off with a music teacher when she nearly made a fortune off a man with several flour mills as an example for her 'selfishness' which is now made apparent in her lack of involvement in her own daughter's life.
Indeed not, but..that is mostly true in this movie. In the play, and even more so in the original novel, she has a far more significant part and even have some delightful exchanges with "mamita", mostly about Gilberte's future. In those, she expresses real concern for her, and the fact she's a hard-working artist explains why they don't meet all that often. All in all, things are much better explained in Colette's original, but I guess the script guys had their reasons to remove those bits from the film..
I had to watch it twice to understand it because I thought it was a marriage proposal she refused not to be his concubine, at that age I would've hated the idea too of being in his bed like she said.
I had a young female business contact here in Paris who is a DEAD RINGER for Ms . Caron. I told her and like many French, she had no idea whom I was speaking of! I suggested she might wish to do a bit of "double look alike" modeling work on the side. Oh, yes, and she was very sweet, smart and honest, this young woman. Really, it was just SHOCKING. It was so hard to conduct business with her and not stop and smile -- so I just did and said, "You look lovely!" a few times in French and she was delighted -- I had the feeling she wasn't much appreciated. What a beauty! Long legs and all! Bangs! A little hat! Hee hee hee! (We were in business contact for about a year in Paris and it went terrifically!) I love this movie, thank you! Uprated, shared.
vivaloriflamme I remember you for your "oriflamme" name! The oriflamme is down the street from me. It's actually not the very first one, which wore out, but apparently, it's the second one. My best regards to you!
There are only two musicals I will even watch, Gigi and The Wizard Of Oz. I like the witch in Wizard, she makes the film. I like Gigi, I guess because of the subject matter, you can"t fault me for that.
i think it relates to today's society as well. Gold diggers who have other options but chose to prostitute themselves just for the money are just as real as the courtesans and prostitutes of the shown period. Gigi is being coaxed and trained into becoming one but she genuinely falls in love with the man and her love is pure, unlike Aunt Alicia's type of 'love' that is for the money. Gaston also notices Gigi's difference from Lianne, even though Gigi's mother, grandmother and aunt were all courtesans, even under pressure from her family she refused to sell herself. And the later change of mind is added only in the movie, if i am correct, it never happened in the novella. I guess it was made to show that Gigi accepted that _her kind_ cannot expect more (to be married) and she would rather live at least _some_ time with Gaston and will have some happiness with him. For him to see Gigi behave in much the same manner as Lianne, showing off her skill as a courtesan, he realized he did not want to drag her into such filth and proposes to her instead.
What I never liked about this movie is that they didn't get her a actress for when she was supposed to be "younger", so when she supposedly "grew up" in the film I felt vastly uncomfortable. I always thought "if she's so "grown up" how come she still looks the same as before? I though they're probably trying to do a "Shirley Temple on her" (dress her up to make her look younger.) I definetly couldn't get over that fact and I felt *even more* uncomfortable when he asked her to be his "prostitute" I didn't say "mistress" and sugar coat it." I was glad she immediately caught on to his plan and said "no". But then she turns around and accepts! I was so confused. But then he married her so supposedly it was "okay" but I still didn't like it."
The french culture of the 1900s is not ours. She was never supposed to be a "little" girl but an immature teenager being groomed in the family profession. He says it in the lyric " you were trembling on the brink" ( of womanhood) . I imagine the time frame is between 15 or so and 17 at the end. Remember many women were married at 16 and were considered of age. The film is great in that Gigi values herself much more than to be a man's toy and breaks the tradition
Gilberte is going on 16 at the beginning of the play and not quite there by the end, just some weeks later, or so the story goes. So, she was never supposed to be a "little girl", she was just a bit immature for her age, and she had to rush to grow up in her head in a very short time. BTW, nobody "sugar coated" anything ; she has been quite openly groomed to become the mistress of a rich man, but the word "prostitute" would had been considered laughable at the time in her case; as mamita put it once "here and now, to publicly keep and display a high-profile demi-mondaine is the only worldly way to prepare a high society man for marriage later in life..assuming he does marry at all one day!"
It's been a while since I saw this film but I'm pretty sure it's stated that the aunt never leaves her home anymore, which is why it's so shocking when she tells Charles to ready her carriage.
@@katiem2347 I remember now, the point about living 'in the dream of the past' rather than in the present - though I remember in the book her old admirers still admire her, younger men don't always see what was so extraordinary about her from the photographs of her, the older men remember the little charms she had that one can't always see in a photograph, in her case including "the wrist like a swans neck"
i love his face right after she tells him she changed her mind.
he's like calmly overjoyed.
fantastic movie
Gigi was a revolutionary. wow, the reds and other colors in this movie are luscious and wonderful. we take it for granted nowadays.
8 Academy awards in 1959 including best cinematography and production design.
I'm a modern woman with contemporary ideals, but I will always be enchanted by this movie. It gives you a glimpse into such a different time and place in society, and I'll always have a distinct appreciation for that turn-of-the-century aesthetic. But the real reason this movie will always hold a special place in my heart is because it was one of my grandmother's favorite musicals. I'd call her "Grandmama!" to make her laugh, and later sang songs from the film for her while she was in the hospital with rapidly progressing cancer.
as a contemporary woman you also can relate to gigi, she's been educated to fit into the role her great-aunt and her grandmother (in short, the society) want her to accept, today we see feminists pushing specific fields onto women even if the majority of women chose less stressful careers, some, oh my god, even want to be a homemakers!
Yes this musical is fascinating. It might seem like it was glorifying a time historically when French women didn’t have much freedom, but the point of the original novel is to illustrate how ironically being a courtesan offered you more freedom then being a wife did in French society. Courtesans back then often could travel unescorted, had more freedom to experiment sexually, and were more financially independent. Collette’s novels were often about this, I’d highly recommend reading some of them.
❤
Charles I'm going out. Order me a carriage immediately. -Charles stands there in shock that she's actually leaving the house- CHARLES!! -he legs it out of the room- always laughed at that bit lol
At that time courtesans were well-considered and socially accepted. Royals and rich men showed their power by keeping liaisons with these women, who in return obtained expensive gifts like mansions, carruages, dresses, jewels and allowances for their lifestyle. Courtesans were not ignorant at all, they were taught how to behave in society, and were surrounded by a great number of admirers, including writers, painters and musicians.
Courtesans were _not_ socially acceptable, they were banned from the 'polite society' and its establishments, for the man to bring a courtesan to, let's say, a restaurant, would cause a scandal and ruin his name, mind you, ruined reputation was very much like having a criminal record everyone knew about today. There were special places that had mixed guests or even such place like 'Maxim's' that catered to the fallen that no lady of quality would enter and even _pretend_ she never heard of it. But the courtesans were not just simple prostitutes, they had some refinement, education and knew how to entertain the rich and the famous and how to keep their secrets. Some courtesans reached incredible success due to their skills in sexual pleasures and entertainment, outshining each other and commanding huge wages in money, jewelry and property for their favors. Sadly, only a few got to enjoy comfortable life later in life as the fast lifestyle has gotten to their heads and they lost what they have accumulated through the years on gambling, shopping, drinking and narcotics.
So, they're kept whores. 🤔
How "romantic."
@@jiminycriket Makes sense why Gigi didn't really want any part in that. Wonder if she, unlike most other girls, saw the lifestyle for what it really was and was like "NOPE! No thanks!"
@@ceciasa3376 I'm glad Gaston came to his senses and saw what she was talking about.
"I'd rather be miserable with you than without you."
Her butler's reaction is priceless!
Fun Fact: Leslie Caron had just had a baby and was nursing so they had to cover her chest up in that scotch dress. She was already married at the time of filming.
Artboxfashion: MOST Fun Fact- Leslie Caron was born in 1931 and married Theater/Film/Opera director (Sir) Peter Hall in the mid-fifties and and had two children with him. She was not some 17 year old girl as you imply. She had worked w/Vincent Minnelli (director) and Arthur Freed (producer) on the film AN AMERICAN IN PARIS when the opportunity to do GIGI came about. The first choice was Audrey Hepburn who did the play on Broadway in 1951, but declined the movie (She would later get another Lerner and Loewe musical MY FAIR LADY). Caron had played the Gigi role in the London production and while she didn’t care for Minnelli, didn’t want to pass up the chance to do GIGIas a musical even though, like Hepburn, her signing was dubbed.
Oh, poor Gigi. I’m so glad Gaston does the right thing in the end!
Charles, I'm going out... I love this film
I LOVE THIS MOVIE!
They don't make movies or songs like Gigi anymore
Aunt Alicia's hat is absolutely ridiculous, I simply must have it!
Those two osprey feathers sticking straight up were a hoot, but actually very trendy at the time, so much so that the sale of them was halted by governments. The birds were hunted almost to the brink of extinction.
@@starababa1985 Poor things.
If I do get it I'll only get the fake feathers or a second hand copy of that hat so that no other birds have to die and loose their feathers, poor things.
Gigi's Mother is seriously not involved in Gigi's life...
Not really no. I suppose her mother (Gigi's grandmother) would use her running off with a music teacher when she nearly made a fortune off a man with several flour mills as an example for her 'selfishness' which is now made apparent in her lack of involvement in her own daughter's life.
Indeed not, but..that is mostly true in this movie. In the play, and even more so in the original novel, she has a far more significant part and even have some delightful exchanges with "mamita", mostly about Gilberte's future. In those, she expresses real concern for her, and the fact she's a hard-working artist explains why they don't meet all that often. All in all, things are much better explained in Colette's original, but I guess the script guys had their reasons to remove those bits from the film..
I had to watch it twice to understand it because I thought it was a marriage proposal she refused not to be his concubine, at that age I would've hated the idea too of being in his bed like she said.
and when eturnal spring is over?
what differance does that make?
Oh yes, I remember it well.
I had a young female business contact here in Paris who is a DEAD RINGER for Ms . Caron. I told her and like many French, she had no idea whom I was speaking of! I suggested she might wish to do a bit of "double look alike" modeling work on the side. Oh, yes, and she was very sweet, smart and honest, this young woman. Really, it was just SHOCKING. It was so hard to conduct business with her and not stop and smile -- so I just did and said, "You look lovely!" a few times in French and she was delighted -- I had the feeling she wasn't much appreciated. What a beauty! Long legs and all! Bangs! A little hat! Hee hee hee! (We were in business contact for about a year in Paris and it went terrifically!) I love this movie, thank you! Uprated, shared.
I come across you everywhere! We must like a lot of the same things. Colette has always been one of my favorite writers.
vivaloriflamme
I remember you for your "oriflamme" name! The oriflamme is down the street from me. It's actually not the very first one, which wore out, but apparently, it's the second one. My best regards to you!
There are only two musicals I will even watch, Gigi and The Wizard Of Oz. I like the witch in Wizard, she makes the film. I like Gigi, I guess because of the subject matter, you can"t fault me for that.
i think it relates to today's society as well. Gold diggers who have other options but chose to prostitute themselves just for the money are just as real as the courtesans and prostitutes of the shown period. Gigi is being coaxed and trained into becoming one but she genuinely falls in love with the man and her love is pure, unlike Aunt Alicia's type of 'love' that is for the money. Gaston also notices Gigi's difference from Lianne, even though Gigi's mother, grandmother and aunt were all courtesans, even under pressure from her family she refused to sell herself. And the later change of mind is added only in the movie, if i am correct, it never happened in the novella. I guess it was made to show that Gigi accepted that _her kind_ cannot expect more (to be married) and she would rather live at least _some_ time with Gaston and will have some happiness with him. For him to see Gigi behave in much the same manner as Lianne, showing off her skill as a courtesan, he realized he did not want to drag her into such filth and proposes to her instead.
I would love to watch this excerpt on youtube. Oh wait... wait...
What I never liked about this movie is that they didn't get her a actress for when she was supposed to be "younger", so when she supposedly "grew up" in the film I felt vastly uncomfortable. I always thought "if she's so "grown up" how come she still looks the same as before? I though they're probably trying to do a "Shirley Temple on her" (dress her up to make her look younger.) I definetly couldn't get over that fact and I felt *even more* uncomfortable when he asked her to be his "prostitute" I didn't say "mistress" and sugar coat it."
I was glad she immediately caught on to his plan and said "no". But then she turns around and accepts! I was so confused. But then he married her so supposedly it was "okay" but I still didn't like it."
The french culture of the 1900s is not ours. She was never supposed to be a "little" girl but an immature teenager being groomed in the family profession. He says it in the lyric " you were trembling on the brink" ( of womanhood) . I imagine the time frame is between 15 or so and 17 at the end. Remember many women were married at 16 and were considered of age. The film is great in that Gigi values herself much more than to be a man's toy and breaks the tradition
Gilberte is going on 16 at the beginning of the play and not quite there by the end, just some weeks later, or so the story goes. So, she was never supposed to be a "little girl", she was just a bit immature for her age, and she had to rush to grow up in her head in a very short time. BTW, nobody "sugar coated" anything ; she has been quite openly groomed to become the mistress of a rich man, but the word "prostitute" would had been considered laughable at the time in her case; as mamita put it once "here and now, to publicly keep and display a high-profile demi-mondaine is the only worldly way to prepare a high society man for marriage later in life..assuming he does marry at all one day!"
@@sunnydayzie1202 ,
Audrey Hepburn originated the role in a play on Broadway.
«Я выезжаю из дома.
Карету мне».
Тетя огонь.
А музыка Лоу всего минута здесь это супер.
1:16 With one exception......
i didnt understnd the part wen he dragged her home. I only got 2 watch a little of this movie. Can any1 explain?
He just realised that that was not the setting he wanted to put her in, that she didn't belong there.
@@chattyroz2934 exactly
Pink Floyd
I'm assuming it's not acceptable for a retired courtesan to step out, or does she make a point of 'I don't go out, people come to visit me'.
It's been a while since I saw this film but I'm pretty sure it's stated that the aunt never leaves her home anymore, which is why it's so shocking when she tells Charles to ready her carriage.
@@katiem2347 I remember now, the point about living 'in the dream of the past' rather than in the present - though I remember in the book her old admirers still admire her, younger men don't always see what was so extraordinary about her from the photographs of her, the older men remember the little charms she had that one can't always see in a photograph, in her case including "the wrist like a swans neck"
3:14 - Gaston Lachaille mispronounces diabetes! He said diabeetus! The movie is ruined as a result, frankly.
@@nhmooytis7058 the movie is wonderful but haters will hate. also, some have forgotten how to speak proper English and its accents.
He pronounced it correctly.
This movie makes me sick.
NHMO OYTIS wow 😐🙄
yes, i agree, jealousy can be nauseating.
Me too