'Lili' opens in the bright atmosphere of a French town with a likable 16-year-old orphan looking for a job with her deceased father's old friend... Lili soon discovers that the place is close and the baker with whom she came to work with has died a month ago...
With no money, no family, and no place to go, Lili meets Marc, a delightful entertainer who offers her a job as a waitress in a traveling carnival show...
Marc's hilarious blend of comedy and magic leaves the wistful Lili roaring with laughter... Marc is breathtakingly good on stage... He is blessed with the fastest hands in the business... Lili is fired, that same night, for spending too much time watching his whole act...
Feeling intensely sad, hopeless, drained and helpless, Lili thinks of killing herself... She begins to climb a highly wooden staircase, ignoring a gently voice calling her to come along... She is distracted by a group of character puppets, who helps her forget her sorrow...
Lili is introduced to Carrot Top, the interesting fellow capable of running his life and everybody else; to Golo, the cowardly giant longing to be loved; to Reynaldo, the thief and opportunist full of compromises and lies; and finally to Marguerite, the vain, jealous beauty obsessed with self...
Childishly happy with the colorful puppets, and not realizing that she is having a big impact, Lili receives the ovation that ignites her creative spark, responding to the four unique puppets losing herself in their questions and imaginations...
When she is asked to sing, Lili belts out an old song of love... The entire company of puppets behind her joined in for a stirring chorus... This was executed to perfection that night - accompanied by the waltzing music of the accordion...
The show is a hit! Lili's childish manner proves she can entertain, persuade and appeal...
But Lili remains dazzled by Marc, who reinforces his spoken humor with visual effects... She dislikes the boss, Paul Berthalet, believing him to be cruel, heartless, frustrated and always angry...
Mel Ferrer had the talent for improvisation... He uses his puppets with humor, voice sound effects, stories and more...He captures Lili's heart and soul... And by speaking through his models he was able to express his anxiety, curiosity, austerity, and confusion...
Lili, touched by the magic of romance, comes to understand the meaning of love much later... She tells Marcus: 'I've been living in a dream like a little girl, not seeing what I didn't want to see.' She discovers that the love exuding from her adorable puppets comes from the loves of that unreasonable, mean, jealous, bitter puppeteer...
Jean-Pierre Aumont adds his charm to the whole story, and remains the beautiful magician armed with an exceptionally likable stage personality...
Kurt Kaszner continues to be Paul's loyal and peaceful friend who explains to the delicate girl that the boss had once been a great dancer until his leg was injured in the war and could no longer dance...
Zsa Zsa Gabor behaves as the glamorous assistant whose fervent desire is to reveal to everybody her secret...
Charles Walters' motion picture is not very musical, but his film culminates in a delightful dream ballet... Caron demonstrates a graceful dancing...
The movie received six Academy Award nominations including Leslie Caron as Best Actress in a Leading Role, and won the Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, and accommodated the hit song "Hi Lili, Hi Lo.'
With no money, no family, and no place to go, Lili meets Marc, a delightful entertainer who offers her a job as a waitress in a traveling carnival show...
Marc's hilarious blend of comedy and magic leaves the wistful Lili roaring with laughter... Marc is breathtakingly good on stage... He is blessed with the fastest hands in the business... Lili is fired, that same night, for spending too much time watching his whole act...
Feeling intensely sad, hopeless, drained and helpless, Lili thinks of killing herself... She begins to climb a highly wooden staircase, ignoring a gently voice calling her to come along... She is distracted by a group of character puppets, who helps her forget her sorrow...
Lili is introduced to Carrot Top, the interesting fellow capable of running his life and everybody else; to Golo, the cowardly giant longing to be loved; to Reynaldo, the thief and opportunist full of compromises and lies; and finally to Marguerite, the vain, jealous beauty obsessed with self...
Childishly happy with the colorful puppets, and not realizing that she is having a big impact, Lili receives the ovation that ignites her creative spark, responding to the four unique puppets losing herself in their questions and imaginations...
When she is asked to sing, Lili belts out an old song of love... The entire company of puppets behind her joined in for a stirring chorus... This was executed to perfection that night - accompanied by the waltzing music of the accordion...
The show is a hit! Lili's childish manner proves she can entertain, persuade and appeal...
But Lili remains dazzled by Marc, who reinforces his spoken humor with visual effects... She dislikes the boss, Paul Berthalet, believing him to be cruel, heartless, frustrated and always angry...
Mel Ferrer had the talent for improvisation... He uses his puppets with humor, voice sound effects, stories and more...He captures Lili's heart and soul... And by speaking through his models he was able to express his anxiety, curiosity, austerity, and confusion...
Lili, touched by the magic of romance, comes to understand the meaning of love much later... She tells Marcus: 'I've been living in a dream like a little girl, not seeing what I didn't want to see.' She discovers that the love exuding from her adorable puppets comes from the loves of that unreasonable, mean, jealous, bitter puppeteer...
Jean-Pierre Aumont adds his charm to the whole story, and remains the beautiful magician armed with an exceptionally likable stage personality...
Kurt Kaszner continues to be Paul's loyal and peaceful friend who explains to the delicate girl that the boss had once been a great dancer until his leg was injured in the war and could no longer dance...
Zsa Zsa Gabor behaves as the glamorous assistant whose fervent desire is to reveal to everybody her secret...
Charles Walters' motion picture is not very musical, but his film culminates in a delightful dream ballet... Caron demonstrates a graceful dancing...
The movie received six Academy Award nominations including Leslie Caron as Best Actress in a Leading Role, and won the Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, and accommodated the hit song "Hi Lili, Hi Lo.'