Cute Face is a 1957 American musical romantic comedy directed by Stanley Donen and written by Leonard Gershe, containing a variety of songs by George and Ira Gershwin. Despite having the same title with the 1927 Broadway musical Funny Face by the Gershwin brothers, and featuring the same male star (Fred Astaire), the plot is completely different and only four songs from the musical stage are included. Together with Astaire, movie stars Audrey Hepburn and Kay Thompson.
Video Funny Face
Plot
Maggie Prescott (Kay Thompson) is the publisher and editor of fashion magazine, for Quality magazine, which is looking for the next big fashion trend. He wants a new look for magazines. Maggie wants the look of being "pretty" and "intellectual". He and famous fashion photographer Dick Avery (Fred Astaire) wanted a model that could "think as good as they were looking." Both brainstorming and came up with the idea of ​​finding a "creepy creepy" bookstore in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan. They then found a bookstore called "Embryo Concepts".
Maggie and Dick take over Embryo Concepts, run by shy bookshop clerks and amateur philosophers, Jo Stockton (Audrey Hepburn). Jo thinks the fashion industry and modeling is nonsense, saying: "it's a chichi, and an unrealistic approach to the impression of self and economy" . Maggie decides to use Jo in his first fashion shots, to provide a more intellectual outlook. After Maggie's first shot locked Jo out of the store so she would not disturb the rest of the shoot.
What Jo wants more than anything else in the world is to go to Paris and attend the famous philosopher/professor course Emile Flostre (Michel Auclair) about empathy. When Dick returns to the darkroom, he sees something in Jo's "new" and "fresh" face, and which will be perfect for the campaign, giving him "character", "spirit", and "intelligence". They called Jo, pretending to order some books from his shop. As soon as he arrives, they start treating him like a doll, trying to make it end, pulling his clothes and trying to cut his hair. He gets angry and runs away, only to hide in the dark room where Dick works. When Dick mentioned Paris, Jo became very interested that he would get a chance to meet Professor Flostre, and eventually be persuaded (in a 'sure') place to become a model for the magazine. Soon, Maggie, Dick, and Jo leave for Paris to prepare for a great fashion show, photographing in the famous landmark of the area. During various photo shoots, Jo and Dick develop feelings for each other and they fall in love.
One night, as Jo prepares for a big party, she learns Flostre is giving a lecture at a nearby cafe. He is present, forget the gala. Finally, Dick found it and they quarreled at the opening of the gala, which caused Jo to be publicly humiliated and Maggie angry. Jo went to speak with Flostre at his home. Through several plans, Maggie and Dick made it into the house at Flostre's house. After performing an impromptu song and dancing for Flostre's students, they face Jo and Flostre. This eventually led to Dick causing Flostre to fall and drop himself. Jo urges them to leave. When Flostre woke up, he tried to make a gap on Jo. Surprised at his "idol" behavior, he smashed the vase over his head and ran out.
Before the group left for home, there was a final fashion show. Jo and Maggie tried to contact Dick, who made plans to leave Paris. Jo did the runway show and before the end of her wedding dress, she looked out the window and saw the plane that was supposed to be in Dick, taking off. Heartbroken, he ran from the runway while crying at the end of the show.
Meanwhile, Dick is at the airport. She runs into Flostre and learns Jo hit her head with a vase. Dick, realizing how much he cared, went back to look for Jo. He returned to runway performances, only to find Jo not to be found at the show. Finally, after applying empathic to Maggie's request, Dick realizes that Jo will return to the church where they photographed her with a wedding dress and share their first romantic and kissing moments. Back there alone, he finds Jo (in a wedding dress) by a creek. She sings for her and she to him. They hugged and kissed.
Maps Funny Face
Cast
- Audrey Hepburn as Jo Stockton
- Fred Astaire as Dick Avery
- Kay Thompson as Maggie Prescott
- Michel Auclair as Professor Emile Flostre
- Robert Flemyng as Paul Duval
- Dovima as Marion
- Jean Del Val as Hair Stylist
- Virginia Gibson as Babs
- Sue England as Laura
- Ruta Lee as Lettie
- Alex Gerry as Dovitch
- Suzy Parker as Dancer Specialist (Pink Number)
- Sunny Harnett as Dancer Specialist (Pink Number)
Music number
- "Think Pink!"
- "How Long Does It Happen?" - Originally composed for musical Funny Face , but not used
- "How Long Does It Happen? (Reprise)"
- "Cute Faces" - from Cute Faces
- "Bonjour, Paris!"
- "Clap Yo 'Hands" - from Oh, Kay!
- "He Loves and She Loves" - from Cute Facial
- "Bonjour, Paris! (Reprise)"
- "About How to Be Beautiful"
- "Basal Metabolism"
- "Let's Kiss and Make Up" - from Cute Facial
- "'S Wonderful" - from Funny Face (musical 1927)
Production
The plot of the movie version is drastically different from Broadway musicals, and only four songs are left. Astaire also starred in the stage version with her sister, Adele Astaire. The movie plot is actually adapted from other Broadway musicals, Wedding Bells , by Leonard Gershe. The original title for the movie is Wedding Day .
Unlike his previous movie My Fair Lady , Hepburn sang his own songs in this first musical. He did one solo, "How Long Does It Happen?"; duet with Astaire, "S Wonderful"; duet with Kay Thompson entitled "On How to Be Lovely"; and took part in the ensemble show "Bonjour, Paris!". His previous dance training was also played, not only in the two dance numbers he played with Astaire, but also for Bohemian-style solo dance at the nightclub, which has since been played back in retrospective of his career.
As with many prominent people, Astaire is much older than Hepburn. In 58, Hepburn's three-decade senior, he approached the end of his music film career, in this second, in a successive series of three French-themed musicals he made in the 1950s. He performed a song and solo dancing with umbrellas and robes for Gershwin's "Let's Kiss and Make Up". According to Hepburn, he insisted Astaire as a prerequisite for his participation. Thompson, who usually works behind the scenes as a music director for film, made a rare appearance on camera as Maggie Prescott, editor of a loose fashion magazine based on Diana Vreeland. In addition to his duet with Hepburn, he performed his solo number "Think Pink!" in front of a chorus of dance, and Thompson and Astaire do a comic duet for "Clap Yo 'Hands". (While at Vogue, Vreeland once sent a memo to the staff who urged them to "Today let's think of a white pig! Is not it wonderful to have a pig-white stocking!" The color of baby pigs, not white enough and not quite pink! ")
The character of Astaire is loosely based on the career of Richard Avedon, who provides a number of photos seen in the movie, including stills for opening credits, which are also used in the halls of Quality magazine. Perhaps the single most famous picture of the film is the deliberate display of Hepburn's face where only his face - eyes, eyebrows, nose and mouth - is visible. This picture looks briefly in black and white at the beginning of the opening title sequence, designed by Avedon, during the music number "Funny Face" which takes place in the dark room, and when Dick (Astaire) presents it to Maggie (Thompson).
The film is jokingly regarded as the first (and only) musical "MGM" made at Paramount Studios since Roger Edens is a producer, Stanley Donen is a director, and several staff members under Arthur Freed Unit at Metro (including Adolph Deutsch, Conrad Salinger, and Skip Martin), along with Astaire and Kay Thompson, were taken to Paramount to make this film.
Release
box office
In the initial release, Funny Face was a disappointment at the box office and failed to break even. However, in 1964, when My Fair Lady (also starred Hepburn) was released for excellent reviews and a huge box office grosses, Theatrical Paramount was reissued Funny Face. As a result, the film attracted many viewers and ultimately made a profit.
Critical reception
Although generally well-received in the United States, reviewers for The Times were not impressed when the film opened at Odeon in London on April 25, 1957: "... an unpleasant piece of work, pseudo-sophisticated , expensive and insolent in approach, vulgar in taste and insensitive in view.This, in fact, is the American "music" at its worst, even the presence of Fred Astaire, who is in the early stages of production, can save the day. to discuss "music" in the right way for serious creative work, but there are those in the film's attitude towards the "intellectuals", either in Greenwich Village or Paris, which is offensive.This is not a friendly parody and does not tell satire; it is rooted in instinct based bad for mocking, and offensive ridicule. "
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 87% rating, based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10.
Accolades
The National Review Board awarded a Special Citation film for photography innovation. Leonard Gershe was nominated for "Best Written American Musical" by the Writers Guild of America. Stanley Donen was nominated by Guild of America Directors for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures" and for "Golden Palm" at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. Fred Astaire received a Golden Laurel nomination for "Top Male Musical Performance". The film received four Academy Award "Oscar" nominations: Leonard Gershe for "Best Writing, Stories and Scenarios - Written Right for the Screen"; Edith Head and Hubert de Givenchy (costume designer Hepburn) for "Best Costume Design"; Ray June for "Best Cinematography"; and Pereira, George W. Davis, Sam Comer, and Ray Moyer for "Best Art Direction-Set Decoration".
The film is recognized by the American Film Institute in this list:
- 2002: AFI 100 Years... 100 Passions - Nominated
- 2004: AFI 100 Years... 100 Songs:
- "'S Wonderful" - Nominated
- 2006: AFI Largest Musical Movie - Nominated
Home media
Until now, Cute Facial has been released to DVD in Region 1 (North America) in three editions of Paramount Home Entertainment: in 2001 as part of the "Audrey Hepburn Widescreen Collection" series, in 2007 in Edition of the 50th Anniversary, and in 2009 as part of Paramount's Centennial Collection. The 2007 version has additional features as well as improved image and sound quality from the 2001 edition. The 2009 release is spread over two discs and includes some additional features not included in the 2007 edition of Kay Thompson's "Think Pink", "This is VistaVision" and "Fashion Photographers Exposed ".
Cultural reference
- In 1990, pop diva Whitney Houston used the Hepburn character from Cute Facial in recognition for Golden Age Hollywood in her video "I'm Your Baby Tonight".
- In 1991, Walt Disney Beauty and the Beast combined figuratively for Funny Face when Belle, who is also a book and intellectual lover, slid on a ladder bookcase similar to with those used at Jo Stockton's bookstore.
- In 1992, the album cover of Madonna Erotica was inspired by a famous photo of Richard Avedon taken from Audrey Hepburn for his movie.
- In 1994, The Divine Comedy sampled a dialogue from the movie on the song "The Booklovers", from the album Promenade .
- In 2001, British singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor wore various vintage fashion outfits and danced with several male dancers with a Paris background on the video for "Take Me Home", which reminiscent of the movie sequence in Paris night.
- In the fall of 2006, The Gap's clothing retailer used footage from Cute Facial in his ad for Skinny Black Pant. In advertisements, Hepburn's dance numbers are paired with the song "Back in Black" by AC/DC.
- In Gilmore Girls episode titled "S'Wonderful S'Marvelous" (taken from George and Ira Gershwin's "S'Wonderful"), Lorelai Gilmore and Christopher Hayden watch Cute Face on.
- New Barbie designed to look like Jo Stockton is only available to the 2008 Barbie conventions.
- BeyoncÃÆ' Â © honors the movie in the 2011 music video "Countdown" from his album 4 .
- The scene where Jo (Hepburn) holds many colorful balloons in front of a piece of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel carton that was alluded to in the 2016 movie epilogue La La Land .
See also
- List of American films in 1957
References
External links
- Funny face on IMDb
- Funny Face in the TCM Movie Database
- Cute Facial at Rotten Tomatoes
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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