![]() They had only been able to open their own bank accounts for less than 20 years. There were few choices available to women in 1900. Life on the stage afforded her independence, yet it was looked on by many in social circles as one step above prostitution. From time to time, we hear her practicing high notes in another room, wholly dedicated to her craft. For now, Gigi’s mother is appearing in the chorus of an opera, but we never see her in the film. Gigi is a free-spirited girl, raised primarily by her “Grandmama” Madame Alvarez (the delightful Hermione Gingold). Maurice Chevalier as Honoré, singing “Thank Heaven for Little Girls.” Some people won’t wait for him to sing his other great solo later on, “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore,” where he confesses to us that he’s not interested in romances now and would much rather do other things. He already knows the tale we are about to witness. He points to Gigi (Leslie Caron) and tells us from his omnipotent POV sometime in the future that this coming-of-age story is about her. They see no more than a dirty old man ogling prepubescent girls at play in a park, but they don’t listen to the lyrics or recognize he is an outside observer and narrator who isn’t participating at that moment in time and isn’t entertaining the notion of cavorting with any of them. Unfortunately, before we learn much more about him, he starts crooning the first song, “Thank Heaven for Little Girls.” This is an early jettison point for some who quit before the story kicks in. Honoré and later Gigi’s Aunt Alicia (who is really her great-aunt) represent the old guard and established ways of romance and social interaction among the well-to-do. He strolls through the scenic Bois de Boulogne in Paris (filmed on location), observing other members of society in their carriages or ambling by on foot. The film opens with Honoré Lachaille, a stylish, elderly bachelor, played by the incomparable Maurice Chevalier. But I’m getting ahead of myself in the plot. While Gigi’s age is unknown in this movie, it can be assumed she is a teenager, at least at the point in the story when she attempts to put her training into practice and become Gaston’s mistress. ![]() Many of our own relatives wed and started families surprisingly early, back when 50 was ancient and most people passed away before they turned 70. Is it 18? Or 16? Or 21? In centuries past, it was 12, which makes me squirm a lot. ![]() The age of consent and the perception of adulthood have varied throughout history and in different cultures around the world. Gigi is a coming-of-age tale, and “age” is the one issue where I understand why people might wince. Me? I marvel at the underlying satire and sublime cleverness of presenting a serious issue, still of great importance to this day, in such a way that it reaches a far wider audience than any direct hit would yield on the subject. As with The Onion, however, if you take this story at face value, you might be appalled and choke on the premise, especially if you bail out before its satisfying conclusion. I want more.” Colette and her characters Chéri and later Gigi are early feminists. Her genius lies in the ability to take a character limited by the social confines of her era and, through humor and romance, have her dare to say, “No, this won’t do. Quite the contrary-and neither was Colette, the story’s original author. This film was a hard sell even in the 1950s when producer Arthur Freed spent two full years trying to convince the Hays Office (preeminent censors of the film industry) that he wasn’t attempting to glorify the life of a young courtesan. I understand the issue at hand and the knee-jerk reaction. Trying to explain the brilliance of its audacious perspective is often like trying to describe The Onion to people who see it at face value, who have never actually looked at it but take every assumed word as a gravely serious fact. Gigi is a message picture disguised as a romantic, period musical.
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