Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron - An American In Paris 

When they try to make dance movies these days, they edit together hundreds of little jump cuts, each of them a fraction of a second long, to create the illusion that the stars can actually dance. When Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron and others of their day danced, it was real dance.

70 plus years later it is still beautiful!!

We're still loving this in 2021.

Possibly the most artistically profound and sexist dance scene ever on film. I never tire of seeing this clip. This ballet is everything it should be - appearing light & effortless, yet moving. Great eye-candy! Thank you, Gene & Leslie, for such a beautiful performance!

Gene Kelly was magnificent! One of America's greatest artists.

This is my all-time favorite ballet sequence! Nothing captures surrender to romance more exquisitely than Gene Kelly's and Leslie Caron's gorgeous interpretation of Gershwin's ultimate ballet masterpiece!

Agreed, this could not and never will be improved upon. Hey, there will never be another Gene Kelly. That face, that body, that perfect toosh !!!! I just watched this on TCM for the 5th time last nite. Oscar Levant ' s dream scene was the best !!!! The Kelly/Caron ballet will NEVER be matched, ever !!!!!

There's such a sense of connection between Kelly/Caron in every dance in "An American in Paris". Kelly was a master, but the right pairing made all the difference as well.

My favorite part of this fabulous ballet: beautiful light by John Alton, beautiful direction by Vincente Minnelli, beautiful choreography by Gene Kelly...so hot and sexy: it proves that you don't have to show naked people in a bed to create one of the hotest sequences of cinema history!

The first time I saw this, I was maybe 12 or 13 and was completely swept away by the visuals, the music, the dancing, all of it. This dance is simply mesmerizing.

It's a stupendous movie, and this routine the epitome of eroticism in my view. Everything we don't do anymore encapsulated in a couple of minutes of style and class.

Gene Kelly is perfection dancing in this scene!

Oh God that trumpet - I don't want to hear anyone else play that!

Everything was perfect about this segment, but what no one else mentions here that is the most obvious is John Alton's Oscar winning LIGHTING and cinematography. There are just no words to describe the atmosphere.

The sheer beauty and sensuality of this scene literally bowls me over.

Sheer perfection. "An American in Paris" is the one movie I'll drop anything to watch.

he amazing. this movie is epic and the music is so beautiful! Leslie and gene dancing in this scene is beyond romantic

Caron and Kelly....OMG I get the goosebumps !!!!!!!!! The Best movie EVER

My absolute favourite movie scene ever of any movie!!! God, the music, the lighting, the dancing. I just can't!!!❤❤

I saw this for the first time in a revival art movie theater when I was ten years old and I was mesmerized by the power and beauty of the dance. Nearly 50 years later for me and it is as powerful as ever.

oh dear, this scene made me melt! The brass music, the steam blowing all around, gene kelly and leslie caron's silhouettes in the perfect light... this scene is truly the dreamiest of them all! The graceful and deep romance is so deep here, and I'm so happy I got to see this scene again. It's been a while since I've had the pleasure of watching this film. Thanks so much for posting!!! =] =] =] =]

Sexiest and most romantic scene in cinematic history, and they don't even take off their clothes! Damn you, Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, for setting the bar so high!! Megan Fox has nothing on Leslie.

This dance number parallels the red shoes ballet. Among the greatest dance numbers in film history. What a joy!

Hauntingly beautiful. I first saw this as a kid - I was prepubescent when I went in the cinema - post pubescent when I came out.

G-rated lovemaking?? At any rate, it's sublime!!

Seductive and wistful at the same time. Beautiful Minnelli colors and shadows. And that trumpet solo rocks. Thanks for this post.

Jesus - this is SO beautiful! First saw it as a kid with my parents and it still sends tingles down my spine. I couldn't wait to grow up and have one of those gorgeous things - alas I never did get a fountain!

An American in Paris, in this dance…... a couple in every time…. best couple dancing in a movie ever!

I LOVE the music in this scene, it's so romantic and hot! A very beautiful song also. And the dark silhouettes at the beginning just make my heart melt, this scene is just brilliant :)

WOW, that scene always makes me shiver... How beautiful... And what an amazing movie.

The moment the lights turn red and the music swells as they lean in closer to each other…more romance there than in any modern romance movie.

An utter masterpiece of beauty, grace, and utter magnificence. The most transcendent, enigmatic, ethereal dance sequence & choreography ever set to cinema by 2 magical legends. Gene Kelly & Leslie Caron soar here & crafted exquisite poetry without equal. Beyond breathtaking..and sublime.

I have always loved Gene in this BUT...I don't think I ever gave Leslie the credit she deserved until I just received this on blue ray for my birthday and I watched it again. She was an AMAZING athelete!

I have always loved this musical, and this must be one of the sexiest dances that I have ever seen!

Merveille de sensualité ! Ici tout est au top ! La musique de M. George Gershwin, la chorégraphie de M. Gene Kelly, le charme, la grâce de Mme Leslie Caron et la mise en scène de M. Vincente Minnelli. Excusez du peu ! Un chef d'oeuvre que je partage avec la femme que j'aime !!! 👍👍

this carries my soul with it.

Gene Kelly was a balletic dancer who who moved like a man and not some sugar plum fairy. Gene also understood the power of well directed and edited film to communicate what neither the stage nor TV could ever hope to do.

The epitome of class and perfection

Gene Kelly was such an amazing talent--absolute style and grace.

The perfect marrying of music and dance - this is art in the truest sense of the word.

You've got to love the fact that a flim in the early 1950s includes a ballet section dedicated to sex. Also what a fantastic time that was for film, Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, George Gershwin, Vincent Minnelli and Oscar Levant all alive and producing great work together.

This is unforgettably Beautiful! where did it all go !

the scene where everyone is dressed in black and white is the most stylish ever put on film. would love to go to a party like that.

This trumpet solo by Uan Rasey is absolute perfection. It is so hauntingly beautiful it makes every other solo of this passage from Gershwin's tone poem pale in comparison. Gene Kelly, genius that he was, went to Uan and told him the feel he was looking to create for this breathtaking pas de deux. Rasey and Gene worked together and THIS was the result of that collaboration. Rasey and other musicians of the MGM orchestra have told stories about how Gene Kelly would come to collaborate with them; how Gene would actually dance while the orchestra played so Gene could feel if the music was right or not. Kelly was an artist of unparalleled mastery when it came to putting dance on film. He was foremost a visionary artist whose deepest form of expression, whose first love artistically was choreography. The ballets he created on film have only grown in stature through time. I won't be at all surprised if some contemporary ballet companies start to make these ballets part of their repertoire.

Love everything about this! The music, the choreography, the actors dancing....just enchanting

this is my favorite part of the whole movie the dance sequnce between the, and the wonderful music is soooooo amazing i love it

My favourite movie...just this scene alone makes me want to see it again and again....such heart!

So beautiful

When i imagine the first dance at a wedding this is what I see. Absolute passion. Absolute perfection. God but I live in the wrong era.

that trumpet sound is so sensual it's driving me nuts! long live Uan Rasey for being such a brilliant musician! i adore the combination of red light, trumpet and her moving leg way up high- that is such a perfect scene!!!!

Pure Magic! That trumpet solo by Uan Rasey is so jazz powerful & soulful! Gene Kelly's choreography was at its best in this film & Caron was a great ingenue. This ballet was totally beautiful, more sensual than over-the-top sexy & Vincente Minnelli's direction was on point. The staging of color is so vibrant! He should've won the Oscar. I've heard different renditions of Gershwins An American in Paris by major symphonic halls; I just close my eyes & think of Gene Kelly and this film.

Now, this is what I call, "Dancing with the Stars." I was always facinated with Kelly and Astaire when I was a child although their movies were way before my time. I remember watching them on TV with my mother. Our local TV station used to run old movies every night after the news. I remember being so glued to the screen whenever there was a Kelly or Astaire movie on because they always looked so glamorous and elegant when they danced. You'll never see these type of movies or "stars" again.

Seeing this on the big screen was about the greatest thing ever. :]

I have no words to exactly describe how beautiful this dance is. But its FUCKING AMAZING!!! I love gene kelly!!!!

Great film, fell in love with Leslie Caron when i first saw the film back in the 50s, guess what? i still do ! thanks for the clip.

@hellasexy22 He did win an Oscar. In fact, the Academy was so impressed that, when they realised there was no category in existence to acknowledge Kelly's achievements in this film they created one. In total An American in Paris earned six Academy Awards.

As a kid this was one of my favorite movies. I would see it on PBS. When VHS first came out this was the first one I made my mom buy for me. That's right I'm ancient and I still love this film.

totally amazing! beautful, gene kelly was a genius in direct the 17 year old leslie caron! adore this movie!

An absolute all-time favorite...

Gene is my absolute No 1 man FOR LIFE 😍😍😍❤❤❤👏👏👏

so so so so so good.......nothing beats gershwin and gene kelly

Beauty-strength-fluid grace-poetry in motion.

Many people don't think he was a jerk at all, but rather very dedicated to his own task master~ his art.

Beautifully edited, too - no cutoffs before the end (the curse of RU-vid)

The MGM dream factory of talent and perfection created this, enjoy it, for it will never happen again.

Magic.

So pretty. Mr. Kelly stood up for her. She was horribly sick and malnourished from the war in France and dreadfully ill with mononucleoisis during this movie. Kelly insisted she rest entirely one day, THEN dance, then rest again. Really, what they did to her would be illegal now. Lovely scene, however, very moving. Greetings from Paris via the USA.

Just plain gorgeous on every level.

La scena più emozionante del film!!! Io ho la tachicardia ogni volta che la guardo!

Gene always stuns me!

Gene Kelly changed my life.

Goosebumps every time. Especially at 2:15

I've just had lunch with Leslie Caron. 78 years old and in fine form.

I cannot outdo the beautiful comments I've read on this page; excepting to add, it seemed here that "Life imitates art"; rather than "Art imitates life": This is the ultimate compliment, I think. What WONDERFUL people made up the magnificent MGM home team in Culver City, only to give-way to expensive, prestigious Condos for nouveau Westside Jews.

one of the best pictures ever made. can not believe vincente minnelli did not win the oscar for this one. he did win for gigi.

That was very well written...thank you for that.

This is superb.

Okay I admit everytime American in Paris, Singing in the Rain, and The Band Wagon come on I try to watch them along with Sweet Charity. Great movies. The Sammy Davis part in Sweet Charity is hilarious. Astaire, Kelly, Charisse, and Caron made great movies.

Absolument magnifique et magique 😊❤

I'm STUCK with this music ..

I really love this.

The solo just something else

Yes the ceiling dance was an achievement in tech, but the inspiration for that came from the early Chaplin/Lloyd/Keaton era, just as Kelly's groundbreaking Worry Song duet with Jerry Mouse drew from the early Max Fleischer works. As I said, Astaire was accomplished at what he did, but Kelly was by far the more complete contemporary dancer. Astaire could never have created this piece.

The one who knows is Ms Caron, but to me it looks like she gives a little push off the floor, up into his catching/lifting hands/arms. That's the way I learned to do it in ballet. Gene's lift of an already upwardly moving Ms. Caron is easier & more controlled by Gene (facilitated by momentum laws in physics), than if Gene lifted a falling/downwardly moving Ms Caron. It's physics, professionals doing their well schooled jobs, camera angle, lighting & Gershwin that makes such a lovely moment.

La música de Gershwin, " Un americano en París", junto a Kelly y L. Caron, convirtió esta película en uno de los grandes musicales del cine. ¡¡Felicidades!! por tu elección. Un saludo, Elsa.

ChocolateFrogPrince, I love your video description! There's nothing to add to it. This is indeed the perfect moment of the American In Paris Ballet (closely followed by the part where Gene Kelly impersonates the Chocolat figure by Toulouse-Lautrec). The trumpet part is terrific - it comes from deep down, from the guts, it's so passionate... the best movie musical ever made, no doubt about it.

one of my all time favorites..... Uber romantic, totally sensual... you can FEEL the heat coming off of them and not in a bad way.

George Gershwin wrote this "An American in Paris" in 1928...wonderful music, great film !

Pure magic!

I love the music also! It's so incredibly sensual.

She's just written an autobiography. I've not read it yet, but it sounds really interesting. She will also be appearing in A Little Night Music in Paris in February 2010. Amazing woman.

This is art!

@ChocolateFrogPrince You're a poet CFP !! .... "swimming in Gershwin's ocean.... exquisite. All the comments and your responses are so wonderful to read. This love scene is right up there w/my favorite... Hitchcock's Notorious, Bergman and Grant... when he comes to Ilsa, she's being slowly poisoned.... he gathers her in his arms and the black/white creamy closeup of those two, whispering to each other w/gentle caresses, finally declaring their love, No nudity or swallowing each other.

always great

thank you for posting this.

@TVfreakje1 that's a VERY good point on colour usage, I agree entirely. Put it al together and.... perfection.

They are different kinds of musicals and I don't think it's fair to compare them. Another positively marvelous musical from MGM is the wonderful Gigi with Leslie Caron. How does one compare them? Each is wonderful in its special way.

I don't agree that this is an A+ film, that's just me. But I do agree that this film is the fruit of two superb American artists: George Gershwin, and Gene Kelly. Gershwin was a New York Jew. Kelly was working class Irish-American from Pittsburg. Leslie Caron was a half French and still an innocent girl. This film is the very lovely result of their coming together.

Thank you

Love that oneiric Place de la Concorde, a wet dream, certainly