This is a nice film that has many wonderful moments but also suffers from too much padding. It's really a shame, as the wonderful moments are so enchanting and I really wanted to love this film--instead, it's good but not great.
Leslie Caron plays the title character, a sweet but rather simple-minded young lady. She is an orphan and has no place to go, so this 16 year-old follows a magician back to the traveling circus--hoping that he'll feel sorry for her and ask her to stay. Considering that Marc (Jean-Pierre Aumont) is such a dashing and seemingly nice man, it's no wonder she's taken by him. However, Aumont is actually married and the only one who might help her is the very gloomy and morose puppeteer, Paul (Mel Ferrer). Oddly, however, although Paul is a grouchy jerk, through his puppets he's able to tell Lili how he really feels and they make a wonderful act--with Lili talking to Paul through the puppets. But, despite their act catching on, Paul never can let go of his bitterness until finally Lili has no choice but to leave. In the end, it's up to Lili to either stay away or go back to this weasel who loves her but mistreats her badly.
Throughout the film, there are lengthy interludes that involve surrealistic dream sequences--complete with singing and dancing. Unfortunately, these sequences serve to completely undo the magic the film has created--and they are rather boring to boot. Had they just stuck with the story and avoided these segments (that seem strongly inspired by the film, AN American IN Paris), the overall effort would have been significantly better. Still, it's a decent film for the family--just don't be surprised if you find yourself speeding through the dream segments.
Leslie Caron plays the title character, a sweet but rather simple-minded young lady. She is an orphan and has no place to go, so this 16 year-old follows a magician back to the traveling circus--hoping that he'll feel sorry for her and ask her to stay. Considering that Marc (Jean-Pierre Aumont) is such a dashing and seemingly nice man, it's no wonder she's taken by him. However, Aumont is actually married and the only one who might help her is the very gloomy and morose puppeteer, Paul (Mel Ferrer). Oddly, however, although Paul is a grouchy jerk, through his puppets he's able to tell Lili how he really feels and they make a wonderful act--with Lili talking to Paul through the puppets. But, despite their act catching on, Paul never can let go of his bitterness until finally Lili has no choice but to leave. In the end, it's up to Lili to either stay away or go back to this weasel who loves her but mistreats her badly.
Throughout the film, there are lengthy interludes that involve surrealistic dream sequences--complete with singing and dancing. Unfortunately, these sequences serve to completely undo the magic the film has created--and they are rather boring to boot. Had they just stuck with the story and avoided these segments (that seem strongly inspired by the film, AN American IN Paris), the overall effort would have been significantly better. Still, it's a decent film for the family--just don't be surprised if you find yourself speeding through the dream segments.