Have you been searching for a classic film from the ‘50s? If the answer is yes, then you’ve come to the right place. Today, I’ll talk about a similar film Gigi starring Leslie Caron, and also let you in on where was Gigi filmed.
The American comedy-drama film Gigi was released in the late ‘50s. This hysterical film was directed by Vincent Minnelli, who was a celebrated filmmaker of his time. However, the main story of Gigi was inspired by Coellte’s novel of the same name, published in 1944.
The basic premise of this classic romantic drama movie revolves around Gigi, a young and talented French girl. The story gets interesting when the character of Honore Lachaille falls for the female lead and later proposes to marry her.
Gigi was a commercial success. This amazing film went on to gross over $13 million at the box office against a nominal production budget. Gigi won a total of 21 major awards, including 9 Oscars, and collected several nominations.
Do you wish to know more about this award-winning movie? In that case, read this article till the end and find out where was Gigi filmed.
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Where Was Gigi Filmed? Let’s Know This Award-Winning Romantic Drama Film Closely!
Over the years, Vincent Minnelli has made a number of astounding films, which went on to bag major awards. Award-winning films like An American in Paris, Meet Me in St. Louis, and Bandwagon captivated the audience and became super popular.
While making Gigi, Minnelli hoped to give his audience the same experience as well. So, since the story of this romantic comedy flick is set in Paris, the director thought he would follow what he did during the making of An American in Paris.
The previous Oscar-winning movie was set in Paris too, and while filming in France, Minnelli made a number of connections. So, the director thought it would be best to use the same connections for the making of Gigi as well.
Thus, at the initial stages of production, Minnelli and his team visited France for the second time and checked the filming locations in person. Before returning to America, the director made sure to acquire the shooting permission and make a note of the probable shooting expenses.
As soon as the director arrived in California, he met with the owners of a large film studio. Sometime later, Minnelli arranged a special meeting and reviewed the filming locations for Gigi.
By the first week of August 1957, the director instructed the production members to commence shooting. The shooting process lasted a little over two months. During this time, the majority of the outdoor scenes were captured in France.
Meanwhile, the interior scenes of the movie were filmed inside a studio in Culver City, California. However, during the final stage of shooting, Minnelli also decided to capture some exterior scenes in and around the county of Los Angeles.
Ok, so let us now discuss in detail where was Gigi filmed. After that, I’ll walk you through the plot of this Oscar-winning movie as well.
Paris. France
The shooting process of Gigi commenced in the first week of May 1957 in Paris. The opening scene of the movie depicting the Battle of Flower was actually shot near Bois de Boulogne. Since the production members had arranged the shooting permissions while scouting the locations, they didn’t have any trouble while shooting the outdoor scenes.
Other important scenes of the film were captured near Jardin du Luxembourg and Jardin des Tuileries. Additional outdoor shots of Gigi were filmed near Palais de Glaces, after which the production members filmed the iconic restaurant scene.
This iconic scene was filmed inside the Maxim restaurant, located at 3 Rue Royale, Paris. However, Minnelli somehow missed taking the shooting permission from the owner of this Michelin-starred restaurant.
So, the production members actually had to wait for a couple of days before they could film the most iconic scene of Gigi inside Maxim’s.
Minnelli also asked the production members to capture a couple of outdoor scenes near 158 Boulevard Haussmann before shooting the ending scene near Eiffel Tower.
California, USA
The remaining portions of the movie were captured in and around the state of California. After filming the outdoor scenes in France, the production members returned to America. The second phase of the shooting commenced in Los Angeles County.
A number of outdoor shots were captured near Venice Beach and Hollywood, after which the crew moved to Culver City. All interior shots of the film were then captured inside Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, located at 10202 West Washington Boulevard, Culver City.
The final sequence of Gigi was shot in the last week of August 1957, after which the production members wrapped the entire shooting process.
And now, let me walk you through the plot of Gigi. In the meantime, you can also check out North by NorthWest, The Big Short, and Avatar: The Way of Water.
Plot Of Gigi | What’s It About
The basic premise of Gigi revolves around a talented French girl who falls in love with a rich man. At the very beginning of the movie, the female lead appears to be arguing with her aunt, who kept bugging her for marriage.
As the story progresses further, the character of Gigi expresses her wish to become a singer. Madame Alvarez, on the other hand, devises an evil plan to keep the female lead to performing and asks Alicia to keep a close eye on Gigi.
Watch Gigi and find out how a talented French girl eventually achieves her lifelong dream of becoming a singer and also finds true love.
Final Words
Guys, I’ve listed all the filming locations of Gigi. If you have any further questions, feel free to include them in the comments. We’d make sure to get them addressed. But, if you’ve enjoyed reading about where was Gigi filmed, don’t forget to tell us about your experience.
If you wish to know the filming locations of similar blockbuster films, then make sure to browse through our website before you leave. That’s all for today, hope to see you soon.
