Can-Can (film)

Can-Can
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Walter Lang
Produced by	Jack Cummings Saul Chaplin
Written by	Dorothy Kingsley Charles Lederer Abe Burrows(play)
Starring	Shirley MacLaine Frank Sinatra Louis Jourdan Maurice Chevalier Juliet Prowse Marcel Dalio
Music by	Cole Porter (Composer Music Score) Nelson Riddle (Musical Direction)
Cinematography	William H. Daniels
Editing by	Robert L. Simpson
Distributed by	Twentieth Century-Fox
Release date(s)	March 9, 1960 (1960-03-09)
Running time	131 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Can-Can is a 1960 musical film made by Suffolk-Cummings productions and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Walter Lang, produced by Jack Cummings and Saul Chaplin, from a screenplay by Dorothy Kingsley and Charles Lederer, loosely based on the musical play by Abe Burrows with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, with some songs replaced by songs from earlier Porter musicals. Art direction was by Jack Martin Smith and Lyle R. Wheeler, costume design by Irene Sharaff and dance staging by Hermes Pan. The film was photographed in Todd-AO. It was, after Ben-Hur, the top grossing film of 1960.

The film starred Shirley MacLaine, Frank Sinatra, Louis Jourdan, Maurice Chevalier and introduced Juliet Prowse in her first film role. Sinatra, who was paid $200,000 along with a percentage of the film's profits, acted in the film under a contractual obligation required by 20th Century Fox after walking off the set of Carousel in 1954.

Musical score

The film contains what critics now consider some of Cole Porter's most enduring songs, including "I Love Paris", "It's All Right With Me", and "C'est Magnifique." (At the time of the show's premiere in 1953, however, many critics complained that Porter was now turning out material far below his usual standard.) Some of the songs from the original Broadway musical were replaced by other, more famous Porter songs, including "Let's Do It", "Just One of Those Things" and "You Do Something to Me." Oddly enough, "I Love Paris" is sung by the chorus over the opening credits, instead of being sung in the actual story by Sinatra. A version by Sinatra, however, was featured on the movie soundtrack album.

Plot alterations

The plotline of the musical was also revised. In the stage version, the judge was the leading character. In the film, it is the lover (Sinatra) of the nightclub owner (Shirley MacLaine) who is the lead, and the judge (played by Louis Jourdan) forms the other half of a love triangle not found in the play.

International controversy

During the filming, Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev famously visited the 20th Century Fox studios and was allegedly shocked by the goings-on. He took the opportunity to make propagandistic use of his visit and described the dance, and by extension, American culture as "depraved" and "pornographic."

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards, 1961:

• Nominated – Best Costume Design
• Nominated – Best Original Music Score

Golden Globe Awards, 1961:

• Nominated Best Motion Picture, Musical

Grammy Awards, 1961:

• Winner – Best Motion Picture Soundtrack

External links

• Can-Can at the Internet Movie Database