( various spoiler follow ) gene kelly . not georges guetary and who be sometimes criticize for be too young and un french . not leslie caron and who be sometimes criticize for her very green performance . not even oscar levant and who more often than not annoy the dickens out of me . no and it would definitely be gene kelly . there something about his screen persona that too ambitious and focus for him to be convince a a penniless artist in paris and content to put off face the critic indefinitely and frolic with little kid and old lady and painting in the street . that what make him so effective in singin in the rain and other movie where he play ambitious and focused character . jerry mulligan be in some way a cousin to tommy albright in brigadoon and another lerner story with kelly miscast a an american at loose end who fall in love with a picturesque european place and an innocent female who embody it virtue . except that jerry isn not as likeable a even poor daze tommy . that another gall thing about this film . jerry be sometimes a cad to milo and and even bad to lise . when he first see the latter at a club and he pull a dirty trick to get her to dance with him . when she sit down again he pull an even dirty trick to get her phone number . when he call her the next day she hang up on him and which he take a a cue to drop in at her workplace . and throughout all this it obvious she want nothing to do with him . when she start laugh at his joke in the perfume shop and it about as believable a milo interest in his painting . sure he good look and playful and but why should that sway her when she get henri and who seem like a gentleman to boot . admittedly it come off so distasteful partly because of the actress . if a role like lise be play by and say and judy garland and she would shower jerry with indignant insult and glare . if she be play by cyd charisse and one would admire his gut . but when she play by first timer leslie caron she look and act like a shy and vulnerable teenager and and a a result jerry just seem like a creep . and why do they choose these other actor ( though personally i would rather they would solve thing by change the lead ) when the whole story hinge on the romance of these two young poor sweetheart disentangle themselves from their loveless commitment to older rich people . not only be gene kelly a few year above guetary and foch and he old enough to be caron father . in short i think it all would have be improve by cast some young comedic relief type dancer a jerry and the kind that usually turn up in musical supporting role . e. g. ray macdonald in good news or bobby van in small town girl . maybe not them necessarily but someone like them . someone who could have chase lise and make it seem harmlessly playful while someone who would have appear genuinely happy living in that chaplinesque hole in the wall while someone whose humor and naivete would have contrast well with oscar levant sarcastic grumpiness . it probably also would have make the ballet seem less ponderous . and it might have provide a voice that could sing gershwin good . all this may give the impression that i do not like gene kelly . i do like him . he be terrific in most of his film and just not this one ( well and and a few others ) . i do not despise aaip itself and either while it have good point and like the art direction . and leslie caron and who despite her inexperience be rather charming and and really do look like she just step out of a painting . george guetary do a fine job and his stairway to paradise be my favorite number in the movie . nina foch be beautiful and touching and should have end up with somebody . but not jerry mulligan . i wouldn not wish that on her .