Mark's Movie of the Week #10: Gigi

 Gigi is a 1958 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli and processed using Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Eastmancolor film process Metrocolor.  The screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner is based on the 1944 novella of the same name by Colette.  The film features songs and lyrics by Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, arranged and conducted by Andre Previn.  The film is set in LaBelle Epoque at the turn of the 20th century.  Gigi's mother (a singer who is heard but never seen onscreen) leaves her care mostly to Madame Alvarez.  Madame Alvarez regularly sends Gigi to her sister, Alicia (Gigi's great aunt) to be groomed as a courtesan, which is a dignified euphemism for a wealthy man's mistress.  She learns proper etiquette and charm, but she prefers having fun with Gaston, whom she regards as an older brother.  Gaston is a known womanizer.  While playing cards with Gaston, Gigi wagers that if he loses, he must take her and her grandmother to the seaside for the weekend. Gaston loses the bet and the three travel to Trouville.  Gigi and Gaston have lots of fun together.  As other women at the resort are bored or have disdain for anything unfamiliar, Gigi pulls Gaston out of his depressive rut with her carefree attitude. When Gaston goes to Monte Carlo, Madame Alvarez schemes to turn Gigi into his mistress. After storming out several times, Gaston realizes that he is in love with Gigi.  He wishes only to be near her.  Gaston proposes a generous "business arrangement" to Madame Alvarez for Gigi to become his mistress; Gigi is unhappy with the arrangement.  Gigi refuses, telling Gaston she wants their relationship to remain platonic. Gaston professes his love for Gigi and asks for her hand in marriage. The final sequence returns to Honore Lachaille, who proudly points out Gaston and Gigi getting into a carriage in the Bois de Boulogne: elegant, beautiful, and happily married.  Gigi stars Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jordan, Hermione Gingold, Eva Gabor and John Abbot.  Gigi has 12 songs including "Honore's Soliloquy", "Thank Heaven for Little Girls", "The Parisians", Gaston's Soliloquy" the film's title song and "Say a Prayer for Me Tonight." Gigi won a record 9 Oscars including Best Picture (Arthur Freed), Best Director (Vincente Minnelli), Best Screenplay-Based on Material from another Medium (Alan Jay Lerner), Best Cinematography-Color, Best Costume Design (Cecil Beaton), Best Scoring of a Musical (Andre Previn) and Best Song (Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner for "Gigi").  In tribute to Gigi's domination of the Oscars, the MGM switchboard answered calls the following day with "M-Gigi-M." Thank heaven for Gigi.