Funny Face (1957)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Stanley Donen

Writer:

Leonard Gershe (written by)

Release Date:

13 February 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

Presenting a Real New Dimension in Motion Picture Entertainment.

Plot:

Fashion photographer Dick Avery, in search for an intellectual backdrop for an air-headed model, expropriates a Greenwich Village bookstore...

Plot Keywords:

Photographer | Fashion | Fashion Photographer | Bookstore | Model

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Audrey Hepburn	...	Jo Stockton
Fred Astaire	...	Dick Avery
Kay Thompson	...	Maggie Prescott
Michel Auclair	...	Prof. Emile Flostre
Robert Flemyng	...	Paul Duval
Dovima	...	Marion
Suzy Parker	...	Specialty Dancer (Think Pink Number)
Sunny Hartnett	...	Specialty Dancer (Think Pink Number)
Jean Del Val	...	Hairdresser
Virginia Gibson	...	Babs
Sue England	...	Laura
Ruta Lee	...	Lettie
Alex Gerry	...	Dovitch
Iphigenie Castiglioni	...	Armande

Also Known As:

Cinderela em Paris (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Drôle de frimousse (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
Ein süßer Fratz (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Amo París (Venezuela) [es]
Cenerentola a Parigi (Italy) [it]
Das rosarote Mannequin (West Germany) [de]
Exypno moutraki (Greece) [el]
Funny Face - forelsket i Paris (Denmark) [da]
Guitig snuitje (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
Kär i Paris (Sweden) [sv]
La cenicienta en París (Argentina) [es]
Mókás arc (Hungary) [hu]
Rakastunut Pariisissa (Finland) [fi]
Una cara con ángel (Spain) [es]
Zabawna buzia (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) | Mono

Certification:

France:Unrated | Spain:13 | Netherlands:AL | Ireland:G | Italy:T | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:K-16 | Finland:S (1966) | UK:U | USA:Unrated | West Germany:6 | Peru:PT

Filming Locations:

Chantilly, Oise, France

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Fred Astaire also starred in the original 1927 Broadway version of "Funny Face" with his sister Adele Astaire. However, the storylines of the play and movie are entirely different; the film only uses some of the play's songs. Coincidentally, the exact same thing had occurred earlier with The Band Wagon (1953), which had also starred both Astaire and his sister on Broadway in 1931; the film had a different storyline but used some of the play's songs. The only opportunity Astaire had to recreate a role he originated on Broadway was in The Gay Divorcee (1934), from Broadway's "Gay Divorce".

Goofs:

Factual errors: When photographing in the book store, the assistant does not pull the dark slide far enough out of the 8 x 10 film holder to expose the entire sheet of film.

Quotes:

Jo Stockton: Take the picture, take the picture!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Gilmore Girls: 'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous (#7.4)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Think Pink

Enjoyable Enough as Long As It's Not Taken Too Seriously

As long as you do not take the premise or the characters or the plot too seriously, this is an enjoyable movie with an interesting pairing of Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn, plus an excellent supporting performance by Kay Thompson and some good-looking settings and scenery. The musical numbers are pleasant, if rather on the light side. Stanley Donen has the right touch in keeping things together without making the seams show too often.

Hepburn is cast in a somewhat unexpected role, as a drab intellectual store clerk who gets involved with Fred Astaire's (much older) photographer character. Audrey is so charming that's it's very difficult to think of her as a wallflower, and while Astaire is as energetic as ever, there are more than a couple of occasions on which the relationship doesn't really look believable, despite the best efforts of the two stars. The plot isn't supposed to be anything weighty anyway, so perhaps that's the price you have to pay for a rather different pairing.

Kay Thompson provides many of the best moments. Sometimes the satire of trendy philosophy comes off well, at other times it gets a little dull. Not to be forgotten are the colorful and interesting settings and backgrounds, which set off the story and music fairly well. It's sometimes a strange combination, but as lighter entertainment it all works well enough.