Gigi (1949)
Directed by Jacqueline Audry

Film Review

Of course, the most famous adaptation of Colette's 1944 novella Gigi is the slick megabucks Hollywood musical directed by Vincente Minnelli, which almost swept the board at the 1959 Oscars.  Entertaining as the film is, it has been justly criticised for sanitising Colette's novel, a complaint that can hardly be made against a previous screen version by Jacqueline Audry.  The only woman film director of note working in France at the time, Audry frequently courted controversy with her explicit portrayals of female sexuality in her films, mostly literary adaptations with a distinctly pro-female slant.  Her take on Gigi is faithful to both the content and spirit of Colette's work, and consequently has an authenticity, depth and subtle irony which Minnelli's over-polished musical patently lacks.

Having watched Danièle Delorme's portrayal of Colette's eponymous heroine it's almost an act of sacrilege to imagine anyone else in the role.  Apparently, Audrey Hepburn was a sensation in Anita Loos's 1951 stage version, and Leslie Caron exudes gamine charm aplenty in Minnelli's film, but neither of these comes close to Delorme's exquisite interpretation of the role, which matches perfectly Colette's creation.  Gigi was the film that established Audry as a serious filmmaker in France, and it was also the film that made Danièle Delorme an overnight star, although the actress had appeared in around a dozen films before this, including Marc Allégret's Félicie Nanteuil (1945) and Jean Delannoy's Les Jeux sont faits (1947).  After this remarkable debut, Delorme would become one of the most sought-after actresses in France, and who better to play the lead character in Audry's two subsequent Colette adaptations: Minne, l'ingénue libertine (1950) and Mitsou (1956)?

With a lesser cast, the captivating Danièle Delorme would have had no difficulty monopolising our attentions, to the detriment of the film.  Fortunately, Audry is as amply well-served by her supporting artistes as by her lead actress.  Franck Villard may lack Louis Jourdan's charisma but his Gaston is more convincing, more complex and more tragic than the somewhat pathetic individual that pines after Leslie Caron in the Hollywood offering.  Likewise, Jean Tissier's portrayal of Uncle Honoré is more palatable than Maurice Chevalier's and comes across as Colette intended, a likeable old roué rather than a slightly sinister cradle snatcher.

Revelling in the part of Gigi's attentive grandmother, stage diva Yvonne de Bray gives the most enjoyable performance, surpassing even Gaby Morlay's darkly comedic turn as Aunt Alicia, the nice old lady who makes a habit of grooming her nieces for prostitution.  With such a strong cast, Jacqueline Audry could hardly have failed to deliver a box office winner.  The film attracted an audience of 3.2 million in France and was one of the most successful French films of 1949.  Compared with this engaging Belle Époque rom-com, Vincente Minnelli's lush musical version looks positively tacky.

Film Synopsis

Gigi is a girl on the threshold of womanhood, after being brought up in the protective cocoon of her wealthy grandmother, Mamita.  To complete her education, her great-aunt Alicia offers herself up as her private tutor.  Alicia conceals her ambitions for her great-niece badly as she tries to inculcate in her the good manners a young lady needs to succeed in society.  On one of her walks around Paris Gigi encounters her uncle Gaston, an idle millionaire whose personal fortune is the envy of the world.  Gaston's fiancée, Liane d'Exelmans, is having an affair with her young skating instructor.  With the help of his uncle Honoré, Gaston surprises the lovers in a Normandy inn and bribes the young man to go away.  When news of Liane's suicide attempt reaches Paris speculation is rife that Gaston will soon be looking for a new fiancée.  One evening. Gaston pays a call on Mamita and Gigi at their home.  The young woman has a powerful effect on the playboy; for the first time in his life he seems to have found something worth living for.  Gaston invites Gigi to stay with him in Trouville, under the watchful eye of Mamita.  As soon as she is back in Paris, Alicia begins setting in motion her plans for Gigi's future...