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An American in Paris is a Best Picture winner. It is a sentimental favorite of many, and considered worthy of serious study by many more. It stars Gene Kelly — who I don’t have any kind of problem looking at; it was built around the music of George and Ira Gershwin — which I don’t have any kind of problem listening to; it was directed by Vincente Minnelli, whose praises I don’t have any kind of problem singing. All of that aside: I find An American in Paris unbearable to sit through.
I’ve probably seen the whole thing — the musical numbers excerpted in film school classes and installments of That’s Entertainment!, the rest in dribs and drabs on cable over the years — but I’ve never been able to watch the film, from start to finish, all the way through. Last night I gave it another shot … and failed.
I documented the experience on Twitter, but here’s my basic issue: for every chunk of inspired chaos that really works (Oscar Levant conducting Oscar Levant, Oscar Levant staring glumly at the camera while Kelly and his rival unwittingly sing about the same girl … pretty much everything having to do with Oscar Levant), there’s another long chunk, usually involving Kelly and Leslie Caron’s completely chemistry-free courtship, that completely falls flat.
I’m probably wrong about An American in Paris – I probably have an abnormal resistance to it that I should probably go to therapy to try to break through — but I don’t think I’m the only one who has had the experience of knowing that they’re suppossed to love a specific film, but in practice just can’t get into it. Share your own in the comments.
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We’ve had a bit of trouble getting this episode to go through the iTunes feed, so we hope this re-post will fix the problem. The original post, with episode description and embedded player, is here.
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Eyes Wide Shit. I now it’s Kubrick’s swan song and all, but good god it’s terrible. It’s the only movie I can ever remember actively TRYING to fall asleep during!
Wow, talk about a Freudian slip! I really was trying to just say Eyes Wide SHUT. Promise!!!
Yeah, Oscar Levant is kind of this weird thing in the background that looks totally depressed and unhappy and miserable and you wonder what the hell it’s doing there. Such a weird and uncomfortable presence. It’s much the same thing in The Band Wagon.
That said, I do love American in Paris. Maybe just because of the sublime “Our Love is Here to Stay.” I don’t really like Caron that much but in that moment she was amazing.
“The Leopard”. Maybe I’m just not made to withstand Visconti, but every time I start this thing up, 45 minutes later I just turn it off. What’s the thing someone once said about glaciers moving, or paint drying?
If it makes you feel any better, Karina, of all the Freed unit classics, this might be my least favorite…I think because I haven’t actually seen it in decades and have been meaning to take another look at it sometime soon.
My memory is of generally enjoying it and loving Oscar Levant’s role, a lot of the numbers, including “Stairway to Paradise,” but finding the final ballet sequence kind of dull. (I’ve actually even got mixed feelings about the “Broadway” ballet sequence from “Singin’ in the Rain”). Of Minelli’s musicals, I definitely think “The Bandwagon,” “Meet Me in St. Louis” and “The Pirate” are definitely more watchable for most peoopl. Also, I seem to know a growing number of people who can’t stand Leslie Caron, for some reason.
Dancer in the Dark. I was soooo happy when the final scene arrived and the protagonist met her fate.
[...] – SpoutBlog’s Karina Longworth had an adverse reaction to “An American in Paris.” We’ve all been there before. For me, it was “Nothing But Trouble.” (SpoutBlog) [...]
[...] – SpoutBlog’s Karina Longworth had an adverse reaction to “An American in Paris.” We’ve all been there before. For me, it was “Nothing But Trouble.” (SpoutBlog) [...]
[...] – SpoutBlog’s Karina Longworth had an adverse reaction to “An American in Paris.” We’ve all been there before. For me, it was “Nothing But Trouble.” (SpoutBlog) [...]
It’s true that the Caron/Kelly pairing lacks “chemistry” but I find that a good way to get around that is to ignore it, and look at the pretty pictures and listen to the nice music. “Emotional content” is for losers, anyway.
People are entitled to like or dislike what they please, but I really don’t understand the point of these “I know I’m SUPPOSED to like it, but I don’t” exercises, except that they let people air their resentments about a canon by which they seem to feel unduly oppressed. I say, if you dislike a film, and you think you’ve really got the intellectual and rhetorical ammo to demonstrate that it is in fact bad, then do so. Otherwise, keep your own counsel.
Amen, fast forward to the 17 minute dance sequence, the end.
Glen, I think you’re missing the point just a bit. There is a difference between not liking a movie and thinking it’s bad, especially when it’s a movie that’s stood the test of time and well thought of by people you respect, and I think it’s fair and potentially pretty interesting for people to be honest about splitting that difference. I’d much, much rather read a post like this than someone like Armond White trying to turn their own highly idiosyncratic reactions into some kind of all-holy totem.
I love all the bits of An American in Paris that don’t have to do with the romance, but Leslie Caron’s character is so charisma-free that I can’t muster up any concern for whether or not they end up together. (Not to knock Caron herself–she brings out all the wonderful/lovable personality of her character through dance that just isn’t there in the dialogue.)