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June 02, 2009
Music in An American in Paris
The original An American in Paris was an orchestral score written by famous American composer George Gershwin in 1928. Somewhat autobiographical in nature, this piece was inspired by Gershwin’s time spent in Paris. Director Vincente Minnelli’s film adaptation of An American in Paris was not created until 1951. Gershwin deliberately and effectively portrayed romance, lust, despair, and the busy streets of Paris in his composition, and director Minnelli told a narrative from Jerry Mulligan’s (Gene Kelly) perspective based on the emotional ups and downs depicted in Gershwin’s original composition.
Although there is no dialogue in the ballet, Director Minnelli uses the different elements of cinematography such as lighting, color, set, costume, editing, and camera placement to create imagery that goes along with the emotions illustrated by the music. Light, happy music accompanies a scene of a peaceful daytime street filled with barrels of flowers for sale. Later, the viewer sees the silhouette of Jerry carrying Lise against a background of orange smoke and the seductive jazz begins to play. A romantic scene follows in which Jerry and Lise dance affectionately atop a fountain. Tracking shots and camera angle changes follow their movements. The music changes from romantic to jazzy as the lighting changes from a calm blue tint to a deep, passionate red.
The music in An American in Paris is heavy with influences of jazz and the Broadway musical, two musical genres especially popular during the “Roaring Twenties” during which Gershwin composed the original score. Minnelli enhances the interpretation of the energy and romanticism of Paris from the perspective of a young American man living in the 1920s by adding tap-dancing and Broadway-style choreography to Gershwin’s music. The main character, Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron), is portrayed at times as a sophisticated Parisian girl and at others carries herself in the manner of a seductive 1920s flapper. The musical style shifts abruptly from this American-influenced style to one reminiscent of traditional French ballet, and Minnelli uses these abrupt shifts to narrate the nonexistent dialogue between Jerry and Lise. The periods of French-influenced music serve to elevate his view of Lise as a lovely, dainty, and sophisticated foreigner. Minnelli so seamlessly blends choreography and narrative with Gershwin’s original score that one does not even consider the possibility that the film and its accompanying soundtrack were created 23 years apart by two different people.
Jackie
Posted by jxp166 at June 2, 2009 06:58 PM
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