History Film / AnAmericanInParis

* AwardBaitSong

A classic 1951 musical romantic comedy starring Creator/GeneKelly just one year before he went on to perform in ''Film/SinginInTheRain'', and directed by the legendary Creator/VincenteMinnelli, with a story and screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner. Taking place in a (very idealized) post-World War II Paris, ''An American in Paris'' tells the tale of an expatriate named Jerry Mulligan (Kelly), as he attempts to scrape a living as an artist in the Left Bank. While doing so, he falls in love with Lise, but she loves his friend, Henri, one of the most successful musicians in Paris.

A classic 1951 musical romantic comedy starring Creator/GeneKelly just one year before he went on to perform in ''Film/SinginInTheRain'', and directed by the legendary Vincente Minnelli, with a story and screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner. Taking place in a (very idealized) post-World War II Paris, ''An American In Paris'' tells the tale of an expatriate named Jerry Mulligan (Kelly), as he attempts to scrape a living as an artist in the Left Bank. While doing so, he falls in love with Lise, but she loves his friend, Henri, one of the most successful musicians in Paris.

The plot is nothing to write home about, since it's mostly a pretext to hang George Gershwin's music on. Luckily, the film is buoyed by an excellent cast and capable director. One quirk of the movie is its lack of Parisian locations, opting instead for [[TheThemeParkVersion hyper-stylized, colorful scenery]] that evokes Impressionist paintings. It is best remembered for its climax: a 16-minute, psychedelic ballet inside the main protagonist's psyche.

* BrilliantButLazy: Adam is allergic to work and subsists himself entirely on scholarships, making him (by his own admission) "the world's oldest child prodigy". Nevertheless, a peek into his dream world betrays his concert hall ambitions.

** Henri's glowing description of his girlfriend, Lise, plays out in a series of ballet routines. Each time Adam asks what she's like, Henri comes up with a comically-different answer.
** There is one scene where Oscar Levant's character, Adam, is just sitting in his apartment, all by himself, staring off into space. Then, unexpectedly, the scene then cuts to him performing in a grand concert hall. Both the band AND the audience is composed [[YouALLLookFamiliar entirely of himself]](!).
** Towards the end of the movie, Jerry has seemingly just lost Lise to his friend, Henri, and the two are flying off to America to get married. The camera cuts to reveal two pieces of paper, containing a sketch of the Arc de Triomphe, which land side-by-side, almost as if it was never ripped in half. Then, it dissolves to Jerry being transported to a strange realm that resembles a series of famous French paintings.[[note]]As interpreted by Creator/DrSeuss.[[/note]]
* DisposableFiance: [[NiceGuy Henri]] is a particularly kindhearted example.
* DoggedNiceGuy: Jerry

* FreudianTrio Adam's a chain-smoking cynic, Henri's drunk on life, and Jerry is an uneasy mix of the two.
* FriendToAllChildren: Jerry adores kids, but he ''hates'' college students. "They're always making profound observations they've overheard."

* GlamorousWartimeSinger: Inverted with Henri, who can't tolerate jazz and prefers the old-school, sentimental stuff.

* IdleRich: Milo
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: [[spoiler: The last scene of the movie, Henri realizes that Lise truly loves Jerry and gallantly steps aside so Lise and Jerry can be together.]]

* LoveTriangle: Henri, oblivious to this, offers straight-faced advice to Jerry on how to woo ''their'' girl. "S' Wonderful" ends hilariously with both male leads on opposite of the street, singing, "That she should care for '''''[[{{Irony}} ME!]]'''''"
* NotListeningToMeAreYou: Adam's vain attempts to halt Jerry and Henri's intersecting chat about Lise. "Did I ever tell you about the time I gave a command performance for Hitler?"

* SelfDuplication: Adam's fantasy sequence. It starts off with Adam, alone in his apartment, staring at the ceiling. Then the scene dissolves into a rather bizarre moment where Adam is on a dark stage, all by himself, performing what we believe to be his own music. Then the camera pulls back to reveal the other members of the band-all Adam, performing each individual instrument in perfect harmony. Then the conductor, flawlessly driving the band's actions, is yet another Adam. All the Adams continue to play, reaching a crescendo and thusly concluding the piece to thunderous applause. The scene gets weirder as it reveals that all the audience members, every single one of them, are Adam. It promptly fades to black, without incident, and gets back to the plot as though nothing has happened. [[http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/247723/American-In-Paris-An-Movie-Clip-Adam-s-Fantasy.html Here]] it is.
* SlidingScaleOfFourthWallHardness: The [[http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/21901/American-in-Paris-An-Movie-Clip-A-Simple-Girl.html: A Simple Girl]] scene, where Henri is describing what Lise is like to Adam, falls on the Completely Solid Fourth Wall area. No acknowledgment of the audience, but every time Henri changes his mind about Lise, everything, from the music, to the environment, to even Lise's costume and the way she dances in order to reflect his viewpoint. ThisIsReality is definitely in full effect.
* SpitTake: Adam when he learns the name of Jerry's crush. When Henri and Jerry start swapping love tales of the same girl, Adam ''really'' starts to [[INeedAFreakingDrink hit the sauce]].
* StalkerWithACrush: Jerry, arguably. He even shows up at Lise's place of work, despite her repeatedly telling him to buzz off. On the opposite end, we have Milo, who is trying her damnedest to make Jerry love her.

* TitleDrop: "This is Paris. And I'm an American who lives here."

* MayDecemberRomance: Both Jerry and Henri are vying for the affections of Lise, who is 19.

** Towards the end of the movie, Jerry has seemingly just lost Lise to his friend, Henri, his best friend, and the two are flying off to America to get married. The camera cuts to reveal two pieces of paper, containing a sketch of the Arc de Triomphe, which land side-by-side, almost as if it was never ripped in half. Then, it dissolves to Jerry being transported to a strange realm that resembles a series of famous French paintings.[[note]]As interpreted by Creator/DrSeuss.[[/note]]

* LadyInRed: Jerry is constantly being hounded by 'Furies' in the ballet sequence. It's your guess as to what they represent. This is a ShoutOut to Agnes De Mille's choreography in ''{{Oklahoma}}'', which featured the same ladies in red hunting Curly.

* WifeHusbandry: Henri knew Lise as a child, and served as her guardian after her parents were killed in World War II.

* DreamSequence:

* DreamBallet / DisneyAcidSequence:
** Henri's glowing description of his girlfriend, Lise, plays out in a series of ballet routines. Each time Adam asks what she's like, Henri comes up with a comically-different answer.
** Towards the end of the movie, Jerry has seemingly just lost Lise to his friend, Henri, his best friend, and the two are flying off to America to get married. The camera cuts to reveal two pieces of paper, containing a sketch of the Arc de Triomphe, which land side-by-side, almost as if it was never ripped in half. Then, it dissolves to a ''really'' trippy sequence where Jerry is transported into a strange realm that resembles a series of famous French paintings.[[note]]As interpreted by Creator/DrSeuss.[[/note]]

* DreamSequence: There is one scene where Oscar Levant's character, Adam, is just sitting in his apartment, all by himself, staring off into space. Then, unexpectedly, the scene then cuts to him performing in a grand concert hall. Both the band AND the audience is composed [[YouALLLookFamiliar entirely of himself]].

* ActorSharedBackground: Oscar Levant (Adam) was a real-life pianist and composer with a wry personality not unlike his character's.

A classic 1951 musical romantic comedy starring GeneKelly just one year before he went on to perform in ''Film/SinginInTheRain'', and directed by the legendary Vincente Minnelli, with a story and screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner. Taking place in a (very idealized) post-World War II Paris, ''An American In Paris'' tells the tale of an expatriate named Jerry Mulligan (Kelly), as he attempts to scrape a living as an artist in the Left Bank. While doing so, he falls in love with Lise, but she loves his friend, Henri, one of the most successful musicians in Paris.

* DoubleTake: Jerry's reaction to seeing WinstonChurchill painting alone by the river. The "British Bulldog" was an amateur painter in real life.

* DreamBallet:

* MesACrowd: Adam's fantasy sequence. It starts off with Adam, alone in his apartment, staring at the ceiling. Then the scene dissolves into a rather bizarre moment where Adam is on a dark stage, all by himself, performing what we believe to be his own music. Then the camera pulls back to reveal the other members of the band-all Adam, performing each individual instrument in perfect harmony. Then the conductor, flawlessly driving the band's actions, is yet another Adam. All the Adams continue to play, reaching a crescendo and thusly concluding the piece to thunderous applause. The scene gets weirder as it reveals that all the audience members, every single one of them, are Adam. It promptly fades to black, without incident, and gets back to the plot as though nothing has happened. [[http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/247723/American-In-Paris-An-Movie-Clip-Adam-s-Fantasy.html Here]] it is.

A classic 1951 musical romantic comedy starring GeneKelly just one year before he went on to perform in ''Film/SinginInTheRain'', and directed by the legendary Vincente Minnelli. Taking place in a (very idealized) post-World War II Paris, ''An American In Paris'' tells the tale of an expatriate named Jerry Mulligan (Kelly), as he attempts to scrape a living as an artist in the Left Bank. While doing so, he falls in love with Lise, but she loves his friend, Henri, one of the most successful musicians in Paris.

* ActorSharedBackground: Oscar Levant (Adam) was a real-life pianist and composer with a wry personality not unlike his character's.
** The role of Henri was originally offered to Maurice Chevalier, who turned it down (Chevalier had once been jilted by a younger girlfriend and the story hit too close to home).

* DreamBallet: Henri's glowing description of his girlfriend, Lise, plays out in a series of ballet routines. Each time Adam asks what she's like, Henri comes up with a comically-different answer.
** There is another, more famous one towards the end of the movie. Jerry has seemingly just lost Lise to his friend, Henri, his best friend, and the two are flying off to America to get married. The camera cuts to reveal two pieces of paper, containing a sketch of the Arc de Triomphe, which land side-by-side, almost as if it was never ripped in half. Then, it dissolves to a ''really'' trippy sequence where Jerry is transported into a strange realm that resembles a series of famous French paintings.[[note]]As interpreted by Creator/DrSeuss.[[/note]]

A classic 1951 musical romantic comedy starring GeneKelly just one year before he went on to perform in ''Film/SinginInTheRain'', and directed by the legendary Vincente Minelle. Taking place in a (very idealized) post-World War II Paris, ''An American In Paris'' tells the tale of an expatriate named Jerry Mulligan (Kelly), as he attempts to scrape a living as an artist in the Left Bank. While doing so, he falls in love with Lise, but she loves his friend, Henri, one of the most successful musicians in Paris.

** There is another, more famous one towards the end of the movie. Jerry has seemingly just lost Lise to his friend, Henri, his best friend, and the two are flying off to America to get married. The camera cuts to reveal two pieces of paper, containing a sketch of the Arc de Triomphe, which land side-by-side, almost as if it was never ripped in half. Then, it dissolves to a ''really'' trippy sequence where Jerry is transported into a strange realm that resembles a series of famous French paintings.[[hottip:*:As interpreted by Creator/DrSeuss.]]

* DreamSequence: There is one scene where George Levant's character, Adam, is just sitting in his apartment, all by himself, staring off into space. Then, unexpectedly, the scene then cuts to him performing in a grand concert hall. Both the band AND the audience is composed [[YouALLLookFamiliar entirely of himself]].

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: [[spoiler: The last scene of the movie, Henri realizes that Lise truly loves Jerry and gallantly steps aside so Lise and Jerry can be together.]]

* RuleOfSymbolism: All those people at the fancy ball, and no one managed to buy a costume that isn't black & white. Even Adam is wearing monochromatic cowboy gear. This is to setup Jerry's entry into the dream world, which is exploding with color.

* LoveTriangle: Henri, oblivious to this, offers straight-faced advice to Jerry on how to woo ''their'' girl. "S' Wonderful" ends hilariously with both male leads on opposite of the street, singing, "That she should care for '''[[{{Irony}} ME!]]''"

* LoveTriangle

* FreudianTrio Adam's chain-smoking cynic, Henri's drunk on life, and Jerry is an uneasy mix of the two.

* HollywoodOld: The role of Henri was originally offered to Maurice Chevalier, who turned it down (Chevalier had once been jilted by a younger girlfriend and the story hit too close to home). Instead, the role went to Georges Guétary, who was actually ''younger'' than Gene Kelly at the time. They greyed up the actor's hair so it wouldn't be as obvious.

* StarvingArtist: Jerry.