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DVD Review HTF DVD REVIEW: Gigi: Two-Disc Special Edition (1 Viewer)

DeeF

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By the way, about that apartment set in the movie.

The walls are bright red. But there's a big armchair in the room that is almost purple — NOT red.

I've always been disturbed by this color choice, because I just assumed the color was off in the movie, and the chair was supposed to be red.

I was wrong. The chair is definitely maroon, and a lot of people have thought that this meant the movie had faded.
 

Joe Caps

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DeeF

I can't imagine what you are talking about here.

Gigi in 70mm would definitely NOT be in 2:35 but would have the sides cropped to make a standard 70mm 2:20 to 1 ratio.

However, this is all academic as I have NEVER heard of Gigi in 70mm release.
It certainly wasn;t in 1958 and it would not ve in its quickie reissue before it went to showings on NBN TV.


NOW There are certain tnings I would love to see on the dvd but will not.
1. How about the scenes where Caron sang for herself dubbed in to the film?

2. How about the second gosspi chorus taken out of the film but dubbed back into the movie?

3. How about some of the songs with the early unused orchestrations?
 

DeeF

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I agree, it is academic. If Gigi was shown in 70mm, it might have been cropped on the sides, it's true. But that's not what was said about it in that post.

You can't really put Leslie's tracks back in, because they don't sync up. She didn't lipsync to herself. (I've tried to do it myself in iMovie.)

I would like to hear some of those unused orchestrations, though.
 

Joe Lugoff

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GIGI's 1966 reissue was hardly a "quickie reissue." It was a major reissue, and did quite well, actually. It didn't premiere on television until 1972.

A guy on YouTube has several clips where he uses the original actress' singing instead of the dubbed singing. This includes Caron in GIGI --- also Russell in GYPSY, Wood in WEST SIDE STORY, Hepburn in MY FAIR LADY, etc.

Here's Caron doing her own "The Parisians:"

YouTube - GIgi - Leslie Caron 's own voice "I Don't Understand the Parisians"
 

BillyFeldman

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This is what happens when people start discussing other movies than the one they should be discussing - Billy Batson, was, I believe, talking about the Gone With The Wind reissue, not Gigi.
 

Edward Weinman

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...No. 3 would especially be interesting...I thought I read that the original orchestrations were different and not thought of as especially suited for the film...
 

Alan Tully

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Yeah, that's right, but that's conversations for you, they tend to wander off the subject. DeeF should have read & not just skimmed.
 

DeeF

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I didn't just skim, but I did misread your post. Sorry.

Gigi (the musical in review here) has been re-released several times, and I've seen it in the theater quite a few times. The first time was really a revelation, since it had been severely compromised on television.

It is an outstanding film, even if the DVDs aren't perfect. The atmosphere, the score, the delightful performances, and the beautiful designs make for something extraordinary. It's certainly a worth Best Picture, even though the movie of South Pacific that same year made a lot more money.
 

Joe Lugoff

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Some confusion might have been engendered by Billy Batson saying "it" was reissued in the '70s.

GONE WITH THE WIND's 70mm reissue was in October of 1967. It was hugely successful -- people flocked to see it -- it ran one full year at the Rivoli on Broadway in New York.

I saw GWTW the first time that way, myself.

I knew nothing at the time about aspect ratios.

I know now that doing that to GWTW was a total travesty. It proves that Hollywood will try to sell the public anything to make a buck, even it means desecrating one of its few true classics.

I also saw GIGI when it was new ... I was nine ... I absolutely loved it, but looking back, I see I had no clue as to what it was all really about!
 

Will Krupp

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sorry to keep the thread slightly off-track, but just a minor to correction to Ken's post about the matted sections of GWTW. The over-matting actually dates further back than the 70mm reissue, as it was originally done during the 1954 wide-screen (1.66:1) issue. The shots in questions were those that David Selznick thought would suffer appreciably if shown thru a 1.66:1 mask. He had those shots printed one sprocket frame up to protect the bottom frame line and they were inserted into the original negatives prior to new printing matrices being struck. Unfortunately, the original trims were discarded.
 

Edward Weinman

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...nope..."Gigi" and "An American In Paris" are both scheduled for BD in 2009...however, Warner Bros. Japan is issuing AAIP in November of this year...(?)
 

DeeF

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I watched Gigi tonight.

Every time I see it, the story itself just seems richer and richer. In some ways, it's more powerful than Pygmalion/My Fair Lady. By her simple honesty and morality, Gigi transforms Gaston. The reprise of the song "Gigi" isn't sung, but it is played while he walks around the moonlit Twileries, just thinking and thinking. He loves her, and wants the best for her, and he's embarrassed about his previous life and the business of her family. All of this without dialogue.

I think it's just wonderful. Makes me cry.
 

Edward Weinman

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...add to this the greatness of the talent behind and in front of the camera and, I believe, you have a masterpiece for the ages...
 

DeeF

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And by the way, I think I heard the inimitable voice of Paul Frees, dubbing the voices of two of Gaston's servants in the early dressing scene (Paul uses different voices and accents, but it's unmistakably him).
 

Radioman970

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Good review. I didn't skim either. ;)

Huge Caron fan. But I was never bowled over by Gigi. Just not my thing. Some wonderful music though and beautifully filmed and all that. I'm more a fan of her as Lili...yes, with those creepy puppets and all.
htf_images_smilies_smile.gif
Now that is a film I'd love to have a DVD of instead of my VHS.

Anyway, it's good to see another classic get a good DVD treatment even if it isn't my favorite.
 

Ken_McAlinden

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I saw your post from a few days ago where you mentioned that you bought all four "Child's Play" movies in a binge. Clearly creepy puppets are not a problem for you. :laugh:

Regards,
 

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