On the Set
While Gene Kelly was an obvious choice for the role of Jerry Mulligan, casting the other roles proved to be a difficult task for director Vincente Minnelli and producer Arthur Freed. Kelly was sent to Paris to test two up-and-coming French dancers: Odile Versois and Leslie Caron. The not-yet eighteen-year-old Caron soon found herself coming to Hollywood to make her screen debut speaking English in the year's most anticipated musical spectacular. While Caron became an overnight sensation upon the film's release, the experience was not an easy one for her. She later complained that Minnelli did little to direct her, urging her, "Just be yourself." As a result, her inexperience and insecurities were reflected on film, lending Lise the degree of youthful confusion that the character required.
Filming was originally to include severals weeks of location work in Paris. But less than two weeks before shooting began, the decision was made to confine the film to the studio. The streets of Paris were recreated on the MGM lot, and the film's players found the set to be an easy and efficient place to work. Filming was largely hassle-free, and everything but the elaborate ballet was completed in six weeks. The ballet was a mammoth project, with an equally large allotted budget. Kelly choreographed the entire number, while Minnelli tackled the cinematic details. The greatest problems, however, were seen by the art department. The famous paintings in the backdrops had to be reproduced by the MGM artists at hundreds of times the original scale. Completing these final two reels of film was a battle unto itself.
Did You Know...
Links
Available on DVD - with trailers
