History Creator / VincenteMinnelli

One of the leading directors in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood, Vincente Minnelli (born Lester Anthony Minnelli; February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was to TheMusical what Creator/JohnFord was to TheWestern.

During his 30-year career, he directed such films as ''Film/MeetMeInStLouis'', ''Film/TheBandWagon'', ''Film/AnAmericanInParis'', and ''Film/{{Gigi}}'', perennial classics (and, in the case of the latter two titles, UsefulNotes/AcademyAward winners for Best Picture) that remain widely viewed, starring the likes of Creator/FredAstaire, Creator/GeneKelly, Creator/CydCharisse, Creator/LeslieCaron, Creator/MauriceChevalier, and, of course, Creator/JudyGarland. It was Minnelli who offered Garland her first adult role in ''Meet Me in St. Louis'', doing much to get rid of the terrible makeover that Louis B. Mayer and MGM had imposed on their child actors. While making that film Minnelli and Garland fell in love, got married in 1945, and had daughter Creator/{{Liza|Minnelli}} the following year. (They divorced in 1951.)

After the UsefulNotes/FallOfTheStudioSystem, Minnelli's career floundered and declined in the '60s and '70s. He retired after the troubled production of ''A Matter of Time'' (which he later disowned) and spent his final years working on his autobiography. He died in 1986 but his films are ripe for rediscovery.

* ''Film/{{Ziegfeld Follies|1945}}'' (1945)

* ''Film/{{Father of the Bride|1950}}'' (1950)

* ''Film/{{Lust For Life|1956}}'' (1956)

* ''Film/LustForLife'' (1956)

During his 30-year career, he directed such films as ''Film/MeetMeInStLouis'', ''Film/TheBandWagon'', ''Film/AnAmericanInParis'', and ''Film/{{Gigi}}'', perennial classics (and, in the case of the latter two titles, UsefulNotes/AcademyAward winners for Best Picture) that remain widely viewed, starring the likes of Creator/FredAstaire, Creator/GeneKelly, Creator/CydCharisse, Creator/LeslieCaron, Creator/MauriceChevalier, and, of course, Creator/JudyGarland. It was Minnelli who offered Garland her first adult role in ''Meet Me in St. Louis'', doing much to get rid of the terrible makeover that Louis B. Mayer and MGM had imposed on their child actors. While making that film Minnelli and Garland fell in love, got married in 1945 and had daughter Creator/LizaMinnelli the following year. (They divorced in 1951).

Minnelli tends to get [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadowed]] by both wife and daughter but later generations of movie buffs would remember his incredible technical achievements, his use of camera movement and powerful blocking-out of action in his scenes. His staging of musical numbers is notable for being highly cinematic, achieving results only possible with seeing a number on-screen, and integrating the number as part of the whole film, using it as important moments of character and dramatic conflict which was quite innovative at the time. Above all his use of color, set design and lighting was incredibly radical for the overlit Technicolor at the time. Minnelli for his part displayed the same visual lushness in black-and-white films like ''The Clock'' (Judy Garland's first major non-musical role), ''[[Film/FatherOfTheBride1950 Father of the Bride]]'' (the original film), his adaptation of ''Literature/MadameBovary'' (starring Jennifer Jones and featuring a stunning ball sequence) and ''Film/TheBadAndTheBeautiful''.

His color films achieved even more impressive results in his lesser-known but highly influential melodramas, most famously ''Lust for Life'' his biopic of Creator/VincentVanGogh with Creator/KirkDouglas in the title role, which recreates the look of Van Gogh's paintings in film. The visual design of the Music/FrankSinatra-starring melodrama ''Some Came Running'' is also highly treasured. Minnelli stated that he modeled it on the inside of a jukebox and the finale at the fairground is regarded as legendary by the likes of Creator/MartinScorsese for its use of color, camera movement and stylization.

After the UsefulNotes/FallOfTheStudioSystem, Minnelli's career floundered and decline in the '60s and '70s. He retired after the troubled production of ''A Matter of Time'' (which he later disowned) and spent his final years working on his autobiography. He died in 1986 but his films are ripe for rediscovery.

Minnelli tends to get [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadowed]] by both wife and daughter but later generations of movie buffs would remember his incredible technical achievements, his use of camera movement and powerful blocking-out of action in his scenes. His staging of musical numbers is notable for being highly cinematic, achieving results only possible with seeing a number on-screen, and integrating the number as part of the whole film, using it as important moments of character and dramatic conflict which was quite innovative at the time. Above all his use of color, set design and lighting was incredibly radical for the overlit Technicolor at the time. Minnelli for his part displayed the same visual lushness in black-and-white films like ''Film/TheClock'' (Judy Garland's first major non-musical role), ''[[Film/FatherOfTheBride1950 Father of the Bride]]'' (the original film), his adaptation of ''Literature/MadameBovary'' (starring Jennifer Jones and featuring a stunning ball sequence) and ''Film/TheBadAndTheBeautiful''.

Minnelli tends to get [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadowed]] by both wife and daughter but later generations of movie buffs would remember his incredible technical achievements, his use of camera movement and powerful blocking-out of action in his scenes. His staging of musical numbers is notable for being highly cinematic, achieving results only possible with seeing a number on-screen, and integrating the number as part of the whole film, using it as important moments of character and dramatic conflict which was quite innovative at the time. Above all his use of color, set design and lighting which was incredibly radical for the overlit technicolor at the time. Minnelli for his part displayed the same visual lushness in black-and-white films like ''The Clock'' (Judy Garland's first major non-musical role), ''[[Film/FatherOfTheBride1950 Father of the Bride]]'' (the original film), his adaptation of ''Literature/MadameBovary'' (starring Jennifer Jones and featuring a stunning ball sequence) and ''Film/TheBadAndTheBeautiful''.

!! Selected Filmography

One of the leading directors in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood, Vincente Minnelli (February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was to TheMusical what Creator/JohnFord was to TheWestern.

Minnelli tends to be [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadowed]] by both wife and daughter but later generations of movie buffs would remember his incredible technical achievements, his use of camera movement and powerful blocking-out of action in his scenes. His staging of musical numbers is notable for being highly cinematic, achieving results only possible with seeing a number on-screen, and integrating the number as part of the whole film, using it as important moments of character and dramatic conflict which was quite innovative at the time. Above all his use of color, set design and lighting which was incredibly radical for the overlit technicolor at the time. Minnelli for his part displayed the same visual lushness in black-and-white films like ''The Clock'' (Judy Garland's first major non-musical role), ''[[Film/FatherOfTheBride1950 Father of the Bride]]'' (the original film), his adaptation of ''Literature/MadameBovary'' (starring Jennifer Jones and featuring a stunning ball sequence) and ''Film/TheBadAndTheBeautiful''.

During his 30-year career, he directed such films as ''Film/MeetMeInStLouis'', ''Film/TheBandWagon'', ''Film/AnAmericanInParis'', and ''Film/{{Gigi}}'', perennial classics (and, in the case of the latter two, UsefulNotes/AcademyAward winners for Best Picture) that remain widely viewed, featuring the likes of Creator/FredAstaire, Creator/GeneKelly, Creator/CydCharisse, Creator/LeslieCaron, Creator/MauriceChevalier, and, of course, Creator/JudyGarland. It was Minnelli who offered Garland her first adult role in ''Meet Me in St. Louis'', doing much to get rid of the terrible makeover that Louis B. Mayer and MGM had imposed on their child actors. While making that film Minnelli and Garland fell in love, got married in 1945 and had daughter Creator/LizaMinnelli the following year. (They divorced in 1951).

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_878.jpeg]]

One of the leading directors in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood, Vincente Minnelli (February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) is to TheMusical what Creator/JohnFord is to TheWestern.

In his career, he directed films like ''Film/MeetMeInStLouis'', ''Film/AnAmericanInParis'', ''Film/{{Gigi}}'' (the latter two winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards) and ''Film/TheBandWagon'', perennial classics that still remain widely viewed, starring the likes of Creator/FredAstaire, Creator/GeneKelly, Leslie Caron, Creator/MauriceChevalier, Creator/CydCharisse, and, of course, Creator/JudyGarland. It was Minnelli who offered Garland her first adult role in ''Meet Me in St. Louis'' doing much to get rid of the terrible makeover that Louis B. Mayer and MGM had considered for their child actors. During the making of ''Meet Me in St. Louis'', they fell in love, got married in 1945 and had daughter Creator/LizaMinnelli the following year. (They divorced in 1951).