An American in Paris (1951)

9.13.2005
First viewing
DVD (Netflix)
Movie: C+
Audio: C+
Video: D

Out of all the musicals I've watched recently, An American in Paris has been my favorite. After watching the others, I've logged on and typed up scathing reviews. Films like West Side Story make me feel emotionally violent and physically ill. But, An American in Paris was different. In fact, it bordered on outstanding. How can it be so good, but only score a C+, you ask? Easy. The first two-thirds of the movie were great. It was the final act, the "dancing act," that did the film in. Allow me to explain.

An American in Paris follows, well, an American in Paris. Gene Kelly plays an artist in Paris searching for inspiration and waiting to leave his mark on the art world. A rich heiress "discovers" him and funds his work. But she seems to have an interest in more than just his artwork. In turn, the artist falls in love with a French girl who turns out to be seeing the friend of a friend. Of course, neither tells the other about their additional relationships, and romantic troubles ensue.

The plot is no different than scores of other films. What made An American in Paris stand out was its lack of random songs. Most of the musical pieces were short and sweet, rather than the long, drawn-out numbers I've heard in other musicals. One of the main characters was a pianist, so many of the songs revolved around that fact. A few of the others were less realistic (for lack of a better word) but a still plausible.

And the music didn't suck. I actually quite enjoyed it. Gene Kelley has an undeniable charm and presence. His tap dancing was a pleasure to watch and his singing was wonderful. The rest of the cast was talented, but it was Kelly that made the movie. The only problem was hidden in the third act. The final 20 minutes of the film were one giant dance routine, complete with surreal sets, silly costumes, and little point. I was enjoying myself until this point, and then suddenly I couldn't stay focused. One dance is OK, but 20 minutes gets a bit repetitive. On top of that, the entire tone of the movie changed. It was light singing with a few dance scenes, and then the pictures abruptly turned darker and became more of a ballet. Why? If I could only rate the first two-thirds of An American in Paris, I'd probably give it a B. But, the movie as a whole gets only an average rating.

The audio sounded good for an older movie. The stereo mix presented the music quite nicely, although the dialogue was slightly inconsistent. I found myself adjusting the volume to hear every word. The video bordered on disaster. The print was rife with specks of dirt and signs of damage. The contrast and colors varied from one scene to the next, and even occasionally changed within scenes! Based on what I know about film and DVD, I assume this means that the transfer was made from several different elements. Apparently the master negative was damaged. That's a shame, because An American in Paris would look stunning on DVD if presented properly. As it is, the colors on this DVD generally look washed out, and the black levels leave a lot to be desired. I noticed some slight edge enhancement and a tad of mosquito noise. It wasn't unwatchable, but it wasn't far off.