VINCENTE MINNELLI (1903-1986)

LESTER ANTHONY MINNELLI

Born: February 28th, 1903 (Chicago)

Died: July 25th, 1986 (pneumonia and emphysema)

Marriages: Judy Garland (1945-1951), Georgette Magnani (1954-1958), Danica Radosavljev (1962-1971), Lee Anderson (1980-His death).

Children: Liza Minnelli with Judy Garland & Christiana Nina Minnelli with Georgette Magnani.

Interesting Fact: He invented the Crab Dolly, which allows the camera to move in any direction.

Success: His first film "Cabin in the Sky" (1943) set him off into the MGM musical era. As you can see below on the timeline that he directed many of the top musicals in its day.

Awards: He was nominated for Best Director on "American in Paris" in (1951). He returned with an Oscar win for "Gigi" in 1958 as Best Director. He has won seven additional awards while being nominated for fourteen others.

My Favorite Film: I knew of Minnelli before but had no idea how many of my favorite films he directed. The two I pick will rather be my favorites that may not be so popular: "I Dood It" (1943) & "The Long, Long Trailer" (1953).

As I said above, I have known about this Director before. I've known him for his marriage to Judy Garland and that he had done some of her films. I had no idea of how many big hitters he directed at MGM. Before he became a Director he was an apprentice and learned every area of the Studio. This definitely paid off for him in the end.

BRIGADOON (1954)

Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Producer: Arthur Freed

Director: Vincente Minnelli

Awards: Brigadoon was nominated for three Oscars: best art-direction, costume design and sound. It did however win a Golden Globe in 1955 for best cinematography.

Interesting Fact: Howard Keel & Jane Powell were originally cast for the leads, but were unable to, due to prior film commitments. Since they were replaced by Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse, they changed the theme of the film from a more vocal performance to more dancing.

My Favorite Scene: I actually played in this film back in my High School days and loved it ever since. My favorite scene would have to be the "Go Home with Bonnie Jean" song. Watching Van Johnson, dancing along with Gene Kelly, is a treat.

Yes, this is more of a musical than a romantic film, but it's message on love is timeless.

Two hunters find themselves in a peculiar village in Scotland, only to be looked at as the peculiar ones. After meeting a beautiful woman, one hunter decides to stay in the village for the day and find out what makes it so mysterious. What they find is an unbelievable story of the city disappearing at night, only to reappear 1,000 years later. Soon the hunter finds himself in love and wants to stay with the village, but after a tragic accident, he leaves and watches the city vanish. After returning home, he can't think of anything but her. As a result, he returns to Scotland to see if his love can perform a miracle.

-"If you love someone deeply enough, anything is possible, anything."

*Trailer

*Here is the song "Go home with Bonnie Jean."