Gaby

All and all this is not a bad movie, and Leslie Caron is truly one of those actresses whom you just can't help falling in love with, she has that magical presence that is the mark of a great actress, and even thou it's not one of her best her performance, her performance in this movie is definitely impeccable, but still this movie it's essentially a lightweight remake of the three times before filmed Waterloo Bridge, so even thou Leslie Caron is as always charming, I suggest a peek at Vivien Leigh as the delicate dancer Myra and Robert Taylor as Col./Capt. Roy Cronin in the 1940 release of Waterloo Bridge, a movie that is (even thou slightly forgotten) undoubtedly one of the best romantic movies ever made.

After revisiting ' The L-Shaped Room ', which is among the few films I watch often, I paid another visit to my worn out copy of ' Gaby ' which I equally love. I have never compared it to the previous films of ' Waterloo Bridge ' because I feel it stands on its own merits which are considerable. To begin with both Leslie Caron and John Kerr are in my opinion well cast together and although it is set during WW2 the 1950's feel of it does not irritate at all. Kerr is gauche and very young, but then he is supposed to be and Caron is a match for that with her ( sometimes ) wonderfully natural acting ability. They are a lovable pair going through difficult times, and when he leaves her and she thinks he is dead she does not resort to prostitution. The scene where she tenderly reaches out to a distraught Polish soldier is one of the most moving in the film. My interpretation is that she gives these kind of men a sort of loving because they are in her eyes the love she has lost and grieves for. No money transaction is mentioned, and this makes it a very different and equally valid version of the former two films. Yes, the Code and its constraints were severe, but what I see on the screen is a fine love story almost ruined by the chaos of war. No spoilers for the ending, but it is moving and totally believable. Leslie Caron is a great actress and she is utterly beautiful in her face, in her gestures and in her inimitable voice. There is magic too in the plot in a restaurant scene where the inference is that they have met before, where or when they do not know. And both of them play it to perfection. It is a simple rendering of its source material and by simple I mean simplicity of loving in its highest form. I have watched it countless times and each time I find it enriching. Kerr is no Robert Taylor and neither should he be and Caron is equal to Vivien Leigh but in her own special way. My suggestion is to track down the film and put all comparisons out of mind and perhaps the magic of it will haunt you, like it has haunted me over the years.

The story of Waterloo Bridge is boring, melodramatic, and not worth remaking. Yet, in 1956, Hollywood produced a remake starring Leslie Caron and John Kerr. She looked incredibly beautiful, and her innocence was radiating. Kerr seemed to be nearly the same as he was in Tea and Sympathy, but since they were the same year, perhaps he just got his characters confused. If she weren't so pretty, I probably wouldn't have stuck through the movie.

If you don't know the story, it features a soldier on a brief leave who falls for a chorus girl in London. They have a whirlwind courtship, and when he's sent back to the front, she worries terribly. She makes a terrible decision, which makes no sense, given her character, and ruins her life. Since the remake starred Leslie Caron, the English chorus girl was changed to a French ballet dancer. Neither one was really given a reason to fall in love so quickly, hence the melodrama of the story. And although this version was watered down quite a bit to appeal to the censorship board, I still don't think her choice makes sense. If you love Leslie like I do, just stick with Gigi.

The plot may be hackneyed (see previous review), but the performances ring true, and Leslie Caron is nothing less than sterling. Also, the dialogue in the script (written by veterans Sherwood and Behrman) holds up after these many years and sits better on my ears than many a television or even movie script today.

"Gaby" reminds me of the film Caron did later about the effects of war on ordinary people in London, "The L-shaped Room (1962)," in which she appears more sophisticated, also falling in love with an Englishman, but in which there is no committment on his part and no "happy ending." As the American serviceman, Kerr is a bit stiff in the beginning of this movie, but eventually grows into his role, and Caron is supple as a dancer in her timing and delivery, her English impeccably musical and her face still retaining the innocence and bit of "baby fat" that we cherish in her "American in Paris" debut. Because she had such thorough ballet training, people tend to remember her in the many musicals with ballet routines, but Caron was equally good, possibly even better, in pure drama, such as these two films. Of course, the director should be given credit for drawing out the genuine emotion in her performances, but she could also do comedy, with that great timing that she had (see her in "Last of the Blonde Bombshells" which she did at age seventy with Judi Dench.)

Caron has an authenticity and committment in her roles that comes across on screen for me the same way Audrey Hepburn does, and did from the very beginning, in her "Roman Holiday" debut. Not only were Caron and Hepburn real persons with inner lives (who not so incidentally had witnessed and survived WW II) when they were tapped by and discovered for the movies, they also didn't go through the technical hoops of acting training that the professionals of today bring to similar roles. Actresses of today tend to bring more training and "acting talent" to their roles, but less inner complexity, resulting in, for me, a less authentic performance, regardless of the high budget and publicity hoopla.

Supporting roles by Taina Elg, Cedric Hardwicke and Margallo Gillmore also do not let the movie down. Taina is better in "Gaby" than in the frivolous but enjoyable "Les Girls." And Hardwicke had such a distinguished career that one cannot imagine him consenting to play this very minor part if he didn't think the whole project worthwhile. In sum, highly recommended and requiring hankies for the vulnerable.

The 1931 and 1940 films, both named 'Waterloo Bridge', are very highly recommended, and are very good films in their own right with the slight edge going to the 1940 film despite being less faithful to the original story.

Although it is a long way from a bad film, 'Gaby' isn't in the same league. There are a lot of things to like, with the best things being Leslie Caron, who despite being unconvincing as a prostitute (and the transition is even less convincing) beguiles and charms in the lead, and the luminous Metrocolor cinematography that gives the film a quaint 1950s sheen, the use of Cinemascope is also striking.

Further great assets are the beautiful and never too sugary or melodramatic music score, and the timeless Rodgers/Hart-penned "Where or When". The two French songs ("Sur Le Pont D'Avignon" faring the slightly better of the two), "My Country Tis of Thee" and Chopin's Piano Concerto are also well used, just not leaving as big an impression in the film as "When or When". The dialogue is thought-provoking, some of the sets are nicely done and atmospheric and the supporting cast especially a distinguished Cedric Hardwicke acquit themselves very well.

However, John Kerr's performance is very one-dimensional, with stiffness and awkwardness being the only real emotions he shows. Even those not completely enamoured with Robert Taylor's performance in the 1940 film will find themselves appreciating it more after seeing Kerr, I certainly did. His chemistry with Caron is quite bland too. 'Gaby' is also very dully directed by Curtis Bernhardt, with the film never seeming to find proper momentum.

It is agreed that there is a lack of atmosphere- the 1931 film was gritty, at times steamy and dark while the 1940 film while, due to the Code and its constraints, tamer and more romanticised was very lovingly romantic, lavish and incredibly poignant. These are things that, other than a lavishness in the cinematography and some of the costumes and sets, 'Gaby' lacks, dullness and glimpses of sugary charm being the primary feelings here. The ending is pure contrived tack, as problematic as the ending of the 1931 film was it was still more believable than this, and things are all far too easily forgiven. Gaby's transformation is too sudden, and some of the sets are on the cheap and cobbled together side.

All in all, watchable thanks to Caron and the cinematography, but anybody who loved the previous two 'Waterloo Bridge' film adaptations like this reviewer did will find themselves disappointed. 5/10 Bethany Cox