1958 ‘Culturally Significant' Classic Film That Swept the Oscars Was Released 68 Years Ago

68 years ago, in May of 1958, a classic romantic comedy musical was released starring Leslie Caron. The film, Gigi, was based on a 1944 novella by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette.

Gigi was about a teenager in Paris who was in training to become a courtesan. At the 31stAcademy Awards, it was nominated for nine different awards and won every single one, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Song.

In 1991, the film was added to the United States National Film Registry for being culturally significant. It currently has a 90% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, although many audience reviews state that the film has not aged particularly well.

However, Caron is still a huge fan. In a 2023 interview with the actress, she spoke about her iconic role. "And do you know that I was 26 when I played Gigi?" she said. "I had just weened my son. He was three months old during the film."

She went on to speak about all the reasons why she loved the movie. "Everything about Gigi is so good," she said. "Everything from the colors, the photography, casting of all the actors is so right, and of course the direction is just wonderful. And, we had a great script writer."

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When asked about her favorite scenes, she pointed out one in particular. "We had fabulous fun on the beach," she said. "I just adored the scene where she is in between being a little girl and a young lady. She comes out with a ‘fru-fru' white dress. She thinks he is going to be impressed, and he calls her a 'dressed up monkey.' She is profoundly hurt. I loved that scene. It was quite difficult to play, honestly. It's laughable. It's comic and touching, and I loved playing it."

She continued, "Compared to some other actresses, I think I've done so very little. But I was lucky, I had great partners and even greater directors, and that's what matters."

Caron is currently 94. Her most recent television appearance was in 2020.

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This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 7:13 AM.