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NEW Gigi - Gigi (blu-ray) (Blu-ray)

Leslie Caron (Actor), Maurice Chevalier (Actor), Vincente Minnelli (Director), Rated:

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Editorial Reviews

Home, motor car, servants, avants garde fashions; man-about-town Gaston (Louis Jordan) offers them all to Gigi (Leslie Caron). But she, who's gone from girlish awkwardness to cultured glamour before our eyes, yearns for something money can't buy. Producer Arthur Freed, director Vincente Minnelli and a cast rife with Gallic charm join for this lavish winner of nine Academy Awards including Best Picture. Its Alan Jay Lerner/Frederick Loewe songs sparkle like "The Night they Invented Champagne" or caress with title-tune tenderness. Maurice Chevalier sings to Hermione Gingold. You'll remember Gigi forever.

Product details

Aspect Ratio : 1.77:1, 2.40:1
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
MPAA rating : s_medNotRated Unrated (Not Rated)
Product Dimensions : 5.2 x 0.39 x 6.77 inches; 2.33 Ounces
Director : Vincente Minnelli, Charles Walters
Media Format : PAL, Blu-ray
Actors : Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold, Eva Gabor
Subtitles: : German, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish
Language : English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Italian (Dolby Digital 1.0), German (Dolby Digital 1.0), French (Dolby Digital 1.0), Spanish (Dolby Digital 1.0), English (Dolby TrueHD 5.1)
Studio : DE-JC
ASIN : B001DX9FV8
Number of discs : 1

Best Sellers Rank: #30,560 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #9,140 in Blu-ray

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2,026 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

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"Why you've been growing up before my eyes . . . "

Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2017

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In 1951 director Vincente Minnelli and MGM filmed and released a two-hour love letter to Paris and French culture called AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. It won the Academy Award. In 1958 Minnelli did it again, with the additional benefits of widescreen, an international cast, outdoor shooting in Paris, and a tuneful score written by Lerner and Loewe expressly for the picture. What emerged was one of Hollywood's brightest musicals and GIGI, too, took the Oscar.. While more recent fare like LA LA LAND may remind us that movie musicals are not dead, few can stand up to GIGI for tunefulness, entertainment value, charm, and the overwhelming beauty of the Bois de Boulogne and French architecture, ca. 1900. This story of an awkward but sincere girl from a family of courtesans (based on a story by Colette) has to soft-pedal the fact that she, too, is being groomed for a rich man's bed, but not as his wife. Bright songs like the title tune, "The Night They Invented Champagne," and "I Remember It Well" add to this film's enduring luster. With Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdan, Maurice Chevalier, Hermione Gingold and other top talents. Even people who do not frequent the musical genre owe this one their best attention.

23 people found this helpful

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Jonny a.

How did you restore this unreal so perfect

Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2018

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I read about this movie and thought that this was recorded for cinema systems with up to want to say... 5 different projectors and maybe ...10 or so different sound tracks in the 1950s that all had to be played at the same time perfectly for viewing in a theater back in the time frame this was released. its unreal how this was restored beautifully done and a good movie I liked it alot. Thank you for the dedication to save this movie the way you did for our family to view. you never got the credit you deserved I feel for how you did this.

9 people found this helpful

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Charlotte

A Creepy-in-Hindsight Classic

Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2019

Verified Purchase

I used to watch this movie with "Gaga" (yes, that's what I called by maternal grandmother) as a child. So, a few months ago, I bought a copy out of sheer nostalgia. Of course, it's a lot creepier than I remembered. The "thank heaven For Leeetil Girls, thank heaven for zem all..." song sounds like something a pedophile might sing. Sadly. Plus, the whole "let's groom Gigi to be a fancy hooker!" plot disturbed me somewhat. Aside from all that, of course, it's a pretty good movie. The costumes and music sure are lovely.

9 people found this helpful

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Todd7

On the Fringes of Classic

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2017

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Gigi (1958) won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture. With several accolades, it's logical to think that a film such as this would be thrust into the elite musicals category. Well, not quite. I give this film 5 stars, as it's aesthetically pleasing, and the plot is nice, but it's just a bit outside of what I would consider a true classic. This is not to take anything away from this film; it has its strengths for sure, but it's probably not on the level of Singin' in the Rain, The Music Man, or another Minnelli film, Meet Me In St. Louis. The acting in Gigi is top-notch, and Leslie Caron is in top form. Gigi is good entertainment. The special features of the blu ray are superb, giving this product my endorsement as a worthwhile purchase.

8 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Dated Story

Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2020

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I recall seeing this at the drive in theater with my mom and dad when I was about 7 or 8 years old. I absolutely fell in love with Paris and Maurice Chevalier as a result. The turn of the century backdrop, the costumes, the manners, the accents. And that gorgeous GiGi. I even gave my daughter the nick name! But the story is dated, the songs are for the most part wonderful and the entire film is fun but doesn't have the impact it must have had in the late 1950's. Still its a part of my childhood that opened the door for me to study French in school, travel to Paris a few times and nickname my daughter after a movie character (probably the song did it).

2 people found this helpful

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Blue DragonflyTop Contributor: Cooking

A Delight!

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2017

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I have loved this movie since it came out when I was a child. I've watched it so many times that I know all the songs by heart. It is charming, funny and the songs are delightful. Cute story and filled with the sweetness that musicals of that era had. It is the kind of movie that just feels good to watch and is a nice break from current War,Zombie, End of the World, and various depressing themes that movies seem to be full of these days.

10 people found this helpful

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John Allen

Maybe in it’s day...

Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2021

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I think might have seen this movie back in the 1950’s and decided to have a look at it again. Actually, I’ve been watching The Durrells of Corfu and saw Leslie Caron in it and it piqued my curiosity in her old movies. Like Fanny. I definitely saw that one in the early 1960’s. Anyway, we watched half of Gigi and decided to watch the rest of it someday, maybe. We just didn’t see the magic. A couple of the songs were nice, but it turned out to be way too much of Maurice and too little of Gigi. She appears early in the film as a little girl and then disappears for a while. It also seemed a little odd to watch Maurice acting pretty much like a lecherous old man. Not highly recommended although it is a classic and the music is fun.

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Top reviews from other countries

Mr. W. A. Mobberley

Mind was a faulty disc but the film is great otherwise.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2020

Verified Purchase

I love this film and the Bluray has a great picture. The Bluray which arrived was brand new and in its wrapper but the film juddered to a halt during the seaside scene and to a certain extent before that during the run up to the "Night They Invented Champagne" song.

I tried to clean it and made it worse so I didn't think it right to return it. This was the German version but has English soundtrack and English subtitles so it didn't matter.

I have reordered it from the Netherlands, also brand new and it remains to be seen whether it is a batch fault or I was just unlucky the first time.

I have given a 4 star rating as the supplier supplied the disc and fulfilled their duty and it was not their fault it was a dud. Assuming the discs are usually OK, then the film itself is wonderful and it is a good Bluray with a nice selection of extras.

This is as fair as I can be under the circumstances.

The old BW French version (among the extras) is monumentally bad and just shows how much better the American version was. I was very pleased to be able to make the comparison.

UPDATE I purchased the same film from the Netherlands. The disc was identical in every way (apart from having a fault) and played perfectly. My Bluray player even thought it was the same disc and remembered which point I had reached when I had been playing the other one. Therefore, I can confirm that I was just unlucky and you can buy this Bluray with confidence.

I heartily recommend it.

4 people found this helpful

Chris Jackets

Gigi is an absolute delight from beginning to end

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 3, 2018

Verified Purchase

Gigi is absolutely timeless! It is 60 years since Gigi won the Best Picture Oscar and it remains as fresh and delightful as the day it was made. One of the earliest (if not the first) Learner and Louwe musicals, Paint Your Wagon and My Fair Lady were still to come, its music and lyrics are classic: Thank Heavens for Little Girls, I Remember It Well, Gigi, etc. Gigi has a small cast, each of whom are worthy of an Oscar. Anyone who enjoys musicals cannot fail to absolutely love Gigi!

6 people found this helpful

r a price

Highly recommended.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 7, 2016

Verified Purchase

For a movie that is almost sixty years old it holds up very well. The transfer to Blu-ray has to be applauded, the colour is beautiful and the soundtrack is as clear as a bell. My only niggle is with the inclusion of the 1948 French version in the special features. Because the sub-titles where white on white in places they could not be seen clearly, that makes it virtually impossible to follow what the characters are saying as I regret that I do not speak French. But I can say from a personal point of view Gigi will be watched again and again. Highly recommended

6 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

GIGI [1958] [Blu-ray] [US Import]

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2013

Verified Purchase

GIGI [1958] [Blu-ray] [US Import] A Stylish Triumph From Start To Finish! The First Lerner-Loewe Musical Since My Fair Lady!

Home, motorcar, servants, and the latest fashion. Here we have man about town Gaston Lachaille [Louis Jordan] offers them all to Gigi [Leslie Caron]. But she, who’s gone from girlish gawkiness to cultured glamour before our eyes, and yearns for something that money can’t buy. Producers Arthur Freed, director Vincente Minnelli and a cast rife with Gallic charm. Its Alan Jay Lerner and Fredrick Loewe song sparkle like “The Night They Invented Champagne” or caress with title-tune tenderness “I Remember It Well” where Maurice Chevalier sings to Hermione Gingold. You’ll remember ‘GIGI’ forever! New digital transfer from restored picture and audio elements.

FILM FACT: ‘GIGI’ won a record-breaking 9 Academy Awards® at the 1959 Awards Ceremony; which are as follows: Winner for Best Picture. Winner for Best Director for Vincente Minnelli. Winner for Best Adapted Screenplay for Alan Jay Lerner. Winner for Best Art Direction for E. Preston Ames, F. Keogh Gleason, Henry Grace, and William A. Horning. Winner for Best Cinematography for Joseph Ruttenberg. Winner for Best Costume Design for Cecil Beaton. Winner for Best Film Editing for Adrienne Fazan. Winner for Best Original Score for André Previn. Winner for Best Original Song for "Gigi" by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. Golden Globe® Awards: Winner for Best Motion Picture for Musical or Comedy. Winner for Vincente Minnelli for Best Director for Motion Picture. Winner for Hermione Gingold for Best Supporting Actress for Motion Picture. Nominee for Leslie Caron for Best Actress for Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Nominee for Maurice Chevalier for Best Actor for Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Nominee for Louis Jourdan for Best Actor for Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Winners for Vincente Minnelli and assistant director George Vieira for Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing for a Feature Film. The film title design uses the artwork of Sem's work from the Belle Époque. In tribute to ‘GIGI’ and its domination of the OSCARS® the M-G-M switchboard answered calls the following day with "M-Gigi-M."

Cast: Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold, Eva Gabor, Jacques Bergerac, Isabel Jeans, John Abbott, Marie-Hélène Arnaud (uncredited), Jack Ary (uncredited), Richard Bean (uncredited), Cecil Beaton (uncredited), Jacques Bertrand (uncredited), Hubert de Lapparent (uncredited), Cilly Feindt (uncredited), Edwin Jerome (uncredited), Corinne Marchand (uncredited), Maurice Marsac (uncredited), Anne-Marie Mersen (uncredited), Bernard Musson (uncredited), Dorothy Neumann (uncredited), Jean Ozenne (uncredited), Maruja Plose (uncredited), Roger Saget (uncredited), Pat Sheehan (uncredited), François Valorbe (uncredited) and Betty Wand (Gigi singing voice) (uncredited)

Director: Vincente Minnelli

Producer: Arthur Freed

Screenplay: Alan Jay Lerner, Niven Busch (uncredited) and Colette (based on the novel)

Composer: Frederick Loewe, André Previn (uncredited) and Conrad Salinger (uncredited)

Cinematography: Joseph Ruttenberg and Ray June (uncredited)

Costume Design: Cecil Beaton

Resolution: 1080p [Metrocolor]

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 [CinemaScope]

Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, English: 5.1 Dolby Digital, French: 2.0 Dolby Digital, Spanish: 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono, German: 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono and Italian: 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, German, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish

Running Time: 115 minutes

Region: Region A/1

Number of discs: 1

Studio: Warner Home Video

Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: Some have called 'GIGI' a French version of 'My Fair Lady,' and the comparison makes sense, to a degree. Both musicals were written by the legendary team of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe; both were adapted from well-regarded literary works by Colette and George Bernard Shaw, respectively; and both detail the transformation of an awkward, unrefined duckling into a graceful, sophisticated swan. Eliza Doolittle is groomed by Henry Higgins to be a lady, while Gigi is tutored by her elderly Aunt Alicia to be a courtesan or mistress and a woman of quality who gives her man undivided attention, companionship, and, yes, her body in return for economic security, travel, and a high-class lifestyle. When her lover tires of her, and he most assuredly will, she finds another man, then another, and another. As her dowager Aunt Alicia [Isabel Jeans] tells the impressionable Gigi [Leslie Caron], "Instead of getting married at once, it sometimes happens we get married last."

That's a bitter pill for a teenager to swallow and a heavy weight to hang on a musical, but the magic of 'GIGI' is its ability to gloss over such tawdry details and concentrate on the charming characters, engaging songs, and glorious Parisian locations of Vincente Minnelli's OSCAR® winning film. As bubbly as a champagne cocktail and sumptuous as foie gras, 'GIGI' is the last of the great M-G-M musicals, and though it's far from my personal favourite, there's no denying its beauty, style, and lyrical grace. To enter the world of 'GIGI' is to be transported to turn-of-the-century Paris and immersed in its intoxicating culture. From the Bois de Boulogne to the Place de la Concorde to Maxim's iconic restaurant, 'GIGI' celebrates the City of Light like few other films. And as seen through the eyes of bon vivant extraordinaire Maurice Chevalier, the story adopts an irresistible airy quality that belies its underlying substance. The wink on the cover art says it all.

Gigi lives with her flighty mother (who remains an unseen presence throughout the film) and wise, practical grand-mère [Hermione Gingold] in a modest Paris apartment reflective of their limited means. Twice a week, the effervescent teen meets her dour, well-to-do Aunt Alicia for lunch, where she learns how to eat exotic food, pick out cigars, and distinguish real pearls from those that are "dipped" and all in preparation for her future responsibilities. Occasionally, the obscenely rich and quite eligible Gaston Lachaille [Louis Jourdan], an old family friend, takes a break from his tedious schedule of fancy parties and ritzy social engagements to drop by their humble abode and enjoy the simple bourgeois pleasures of chamomile tea and a spirited game of cards with Gigi. Though she's several years his junior, Gigi connects with Gaston Lachaille like none of his hot-to-trot girlfriends, and as she grows up, their bond solidifies, ultimately prompting a business proposal that will alter their relationship forever.

Opulence defines Vincente Minnelli's musicals, and 'GIGI,' for which the director won a well-deserved OSCAR® and is arguably his trademark film. Sets and costumes are meticulously designed and coordinated to produce eye-filling images, and the simply staged songs grow naturally out of the story. No production numbers or overblown fantasy ballets disrupt the leisurely flow, and though not a lot of plot transpires, the mood and structure Vincente Minnelli creates sustains the film.

As does Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s delightful score, which includes such gems as “Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” the melodic title tune, Maurice Chevalier's jaunty “I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore,” the buoyant “The Night They Invented Champagne,” and the priceless duet, I Remember It Well, performed with wit and warmth by Hermione Gingold and Maurice Chevalier, who wryly recall their past love affair. Though Leslie Caron's vocals are dubbed and Louis Jourdan speaks-sings his numbers á la Rex Harrison, both performers possess such charisma, we forget their limitations.

If you count the special OSCAR® Maurice Chevalier received for his "contributions to the world of entertainment," 'GIGI' garnered a total of 10 Academy Awards® [see information above]. Yet even such effusive industry praise couldn't save the old-style M-G-M musical. Changing audience taste and the demise of the studio system conspired to make 'GIGU' the last of its breed, but thanks to the artistry of Vincente Minnelli, producer Arthur Freed, and their peerless creative team, the era ended on a high note.

Blu-ray Video Quality – 'GIGI' was long overdue for a high definition makeover, especially with its encoded 1080p transfer and has been given a major improvement over the banged up, scratch-ridden print that graced Warner's previous standard-definition inferior NTSC DVD format. Vincente Minnelli's film certainly has never looked better, and fans should be quite pleased with this rendering, which really brings out all the joie de vivre of the Paris locations and fine details of the movie's impeccable production design. Despite the use of single-strip Metrocolor, hues burst forth and, for the most part, look realistic. The one exception might be the plush red that envelops Gigi's apartment; it's intentionally garish and the transfer pushes it to the limit, but it resists bleeding. The cloudless Parisian skyline are often breath-taking, and no banding breaks up the sea of deep blue, while the pastel costumes exhibit plenty of vibrancy and texture. Flesh tones can look a little ruddy, but blacks are luxuriously rich, and nice depth and delineation distinguish the lovely exterior night scenes. Clarity is quite good, with background elements possessing good detail levels, but because of the wide aspect ratio, close-ups seem a bit remote and don't flaunt all the 1080p HD facets that would lend the transfer more dimensionality. Warner Home Video deserves kudos for maintaining the original look and feel of this 50-year-old film, and not resorting to edge enhancement and digital noise reduction to obtain a sleeker, more "modern" look. Still, the amount of grain present in the picture really surprised me, especially for a movie from the late 1950s. From the opening credits onward, grain is very noticeable, but it blends well into the image, lending it a slight antiquated quality that suits the period setting. Best of all, every single blemish afflicting the previous transfer has been erased. No more nicks or grit dot the print, and all those annoying vertical lines, bleach spots, and reel change markers that previously obscured the beauty of this Oscar-winning film have been removed. A few brief shots betray a jarring softness, but on the whole, this is another solid effort from Warner Home Video.

Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Home Video pulls out all the audio stops, supplying 'Gigi' with both 5.1 Dolby TrueHD and 5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks. Of the two, the TrueHD option is the clear winner, offering clean, clear, well-balanced, and substantive sound. Vocals are nicely prioritized, so all the lyrical patter is crisp and distinct, and dialogue comes through without any impediments. Subtle accents, such as the horse hooves and the crunching of the delicate birds Gigi must consume for lunch at Aunt Alicia's, add punch to the track, and a slight fidelity increase lends the musical numbers welcome oomph. The orchestrations enjoy terrific tonal depth and fine stereo separation, but unfortunately don't bleed into the rear channels. Despite calling it multi-channel, this is still a front-centered aural affair. Once again, Warner Home Video technicians have scrubbed away any age-related defects, such as pops, crackles, and hiss. This isn't a flashy track, but it delivers, and those who appreciate the genius of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe will enjoy hearing this high-definition mix.

Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:

Audio Commentary: Commentary by Historian and Archivist Jeanine Basinger with Leslie Caron: Film historian/archivist Jeanine Basinger, with a slight assist from actress Leslie Caron, provides a serviceable commentary that hits all the appropriate points, but lacks the sparkle of some of her previous efforts. Jeanine Basinger obviously possesses great affection for 'GIGI,' but tends to repeat herself and spends too much time describing the action on screen. On the plus side, she divulges some interesting production details, examines the censorship hurdles the film had to scale, and touches upon the background of principal cast and crew members, but insight is rather slim and anyone who's at all familiar with the film won't find much enlightening information here. I was really looking forward to some extensive remarks from the lively Leslie Caron, but her very brief, separately recorded comments, which sound like they were lifted from the interview she gave for the documentary described below, and are only interjected a mere five times throughout this almost two-hour discussion.

Special Feature: NEW Documentary: Thank Heaven! The Making of ‘GIGI’ [2008] [1080p] [36:00] 'GIGI' has been called the "crowning achievement of the Arthur Freed Unit at M-G-M," and this slick, absorbing documentary chronicles its history, production, and enthusiastic reception. Employing a wealth of varied interviews, rare still photos, and film clips, the piece examines Colette's original novel and the 1949 French film it inspired, the censorship issues the musical faced, the challenges of location shooting in Paris, the contributions of designer Cecil Beaton, and the film's splashy, unorthodox Broadway premiere. Leslie Caron shares a host of colourful recollections, calling Maurice Chevalier "morose" and Louis Jourdan "finicky," and we also get to hear snippets of her wisely abandoned original vocal tracks. Archival reminiscences from Minnelli, who explains his musical philosophy, are also a highlight.

Special Feature: Original French version of 'Gigi' [1949] [83:00] Starring Daniele Delorme and Directed by Jacqueline Audry. This interesting, non-musical curio parallels the 1958 version fairly closely, but keeps Gigi very much an awkward teen until the final minutes. Jacqueline Audry directs with a light touch, but never trivializes the material, and though a slim budget precludes any ornate sets, she still evokes the atmosphere of turn-of-the-century Paris. In her film debut, Daniele Delorme makes an engaging, if plainer, Gigi, and Franck Villard nicely expresses the chronic ennui afflicting Gaston. But it's Gaby Morlay and Yvonne de Bray who grab most of the attention as Aunt Alicia and Gigi's grandmother, respectively. Warner Bros. alerts viewers to the film's unfortunate state of disrepair, especially its nicks, scratches, missing frames, and rough audio abound, but we're lucky the film exists at all, and it's interesting to compare it to Vincente Minnelli's much more lavish interpretation. The biggest visual issue is the white-printed subtitles, which require intense concentration to closely follow the dialogue. They often bleed into the image, making conversations unintelligible and keeping us so focused on deciphering their meaning, it becomes difficult to absorb the entire picture. French with English subtitles.

Special Feature: Vintage Short: The Million Dollar Nickel [1952] [480i] [4:3] [10:00] A clever bit of democratic propaganda, and this 1952 title of this short refers to the 5-cent stamp required to send a letter overseas from the USA. In the war against Communism, these letters are worth a million dollars, because they counter Soviet dis-information against the United States and emphasises the power of the written word, and how letters extolling the virtues of American freedom and sent to overseas relatives living in Communist countries for a mere nickel in postage and can help stem the Communist threat in Eastern Europe. Immigrants are urged to send letters to their families and friends back in their native countries, describing their experiences in the USA. If they tell the truth in these letters, people will know that the anti-USA propaganda is untrue. A quartet of M-G-M's foreign Hollywood stars, especially Pier Angeli, Ricardo Montalban, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Leslie Caron, speaking in their native languages, urge their fellow countrymen to get involved in this effort and use their native tongues to press the point.

Special Feature: Vintage Classic CinemaScope M-G-M Cartoon: The Vanishing Duck [1957] [Technicolor] [2.40:1] [7:04] This Classic M-G-M Tom and Jerry cartoon where George brings home a singing duckling for Joan, and follows the exploits of a baby duck, but when George and Joan leave to go to a show, Tom tries to eat him. As the chase ensues, the duckling and Jerry tries to outfox a hungry Tom by using vanishing cream to scare Tom, but he soon finds some himself and gets revenge. It was the penultimate Tom and Jerry cartoon that was directed and produced by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera with music by Scott Bradley. It also marked the final appearance of Nibbles (aka Tuffy), who first appeared in ‘The Milky Waif.’

Theatrical Trailer [1958] [480i] [4:3] [3:00] Unfortunately, Warner Home Video has not seen fit to restore the 'GIGI' trailer, so it's presented in standard definition in window box format.

Finally, 'GIGI' is one of M-G-M's most beloved musicals and this charming, sophisticated tale of Parisian life and manners in the early 1900s of Paris looks and sounds better than ever, thanks to a spanking new transfer culled from restored picture and audio elements, and a nice array of supplements. One of the most pictorially ravishing and most melodically invigorating musicals ever made, ‘GIGI’ gets its definitive home video release in this splendid Blu-ray package. Excellent picture and sound quality and some worthwhile bonus features make this a release that earns my overwhelming endorsement. Fans waiting to upgrade need not hesitate, and those who haven't yet discovered the allure of 'GIGI' should definitely check out this stellar classic release from Warner Home Video and that is why I had no hesitation in getting this wonderful and beautiful Classic Hollywood Musical and has now gone pride of place in my Blu-ray Collection. Highly Recommended!

Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Fan
Le Cinema Paradiso
WARE, United Kingdom

2 people found this helpful

Trevor Willsmer

The Blu-ray and two-disc 50th anniversary DVD also include the 1949 French version

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 13, 2011

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The MGM musical was all but dead when Gigi gave the studio its biggest ever musical hit, but it's not one of their best despite having a lot going for it. It's lavishly mounted, making excellent use of both Paris locations and the MGM backlot (Hermione Gingold and Leslie Caron live in the same apartment building as Les Girls the previous year) and benefits immensely from a witty script, though it does threaten to drag in places and there's a curious shift of emphasis from Leslie Caron's Gigi to Louis Jourdan's eternally bored Gaston. The real sparkle comes from the sidelines, as Hermione Gingold gets all the best lines, Maurice Chevalier all the best songs and the two of them share the film's best scene, the genuinely charming duet I Remember It Well. Of course, if Chevalier hung around a park singing Thank Heaven for Little Girls while watching children at play today he'd probably be arrested, but then this is a film which - with a little choice dilution of the original story - makes the grooming of a young girl to be a courtesan seem almost wholesome family entertainment. At times straining just a little too hard to be a Gallic-themed My Fair Lady (not unsurprising with Lerner and Loewe providing the score), it almost but not quite outstays its welcome but still just about manages to come out ahead even if it does feel like the kind of party where the hosts have ordered the most expensive champagne rather than the best.

Aside from a good documentary on the making of Gigi, an audio commentary by Jeanne Basinger and the original trailer, the two disc DVD and Blu-ray also includes a Scope Tom and Jerry cartoon The Vanishing Duck and a les than subtle anti-communist propaganda short The Million Dollar Nickel with Leslie Caron, Ricardo Montalban, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Pier Angeli urging immigrant Americans to write home the truth about life in America to dispel communist lies. Ah, the 50s...

Even better, albeit hidden away as a barely-announced extra, Jacqueline Audry's 1949 French adaptation of Gigi is also included. It tends to play more as an occasionally interesting curio than a success in its own right. Part of the problem is the lacklustre casting - no-one's bad but no-one excels and many of Colette's best epithets fall to rather flat delivery here - but a lot of it comes down to the slightness of the short story: without Lerner and Loewe's added songs, the material's just too thin to really work that well as a feature film, even one coming in at under one-and-a-half hours. Nor is there enough of a flourish to the filmmaking to compensate, with even the location work veering to the ordinary. Daniele Delorme is fine in the title role of the young girl raised by her aunt to be a courtesan, but never turns it into a star-making role in a film that could really do with a little star quality. Audry would return to the subject matter (albeit a different author) the same year Hollywood made its version, 1958, with School for Coquettes, but here she sadly delivers an acceptable but unexceptional house wine rather than a vintage one.

Sadly the print used for the DVD has seen better days and the burned-in white subtitles are often all-but invisible, especially when against a light background, but luckily some readable English ones set against a black background are available via the subtitles menu.

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