LILI (1953)

The names Carrot Top and Reynardo cast a magic spell on any of the millions who’ve fallen in love with this musical fantasy. Leslie Caron was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in the title role, playing an orphan who gets a job at a traveling carnival and treats the puppets in the show as if they were real people. What she doesn’t realize is that they actually express the inner thoughts of Paul (Mel Ferrer), an embittered man who turned to puppetry after a war injury ended his career as a ballet dancer. He courts her through the puppets, which can express the feelings he hides from the rest of the world. This was the best role Caron had had since making her film debut in An American in Paris (1951). Her gamine charm and the hit recording of “Hi Lili, Hi Lo” helped make this MGM’s top-grossing musical of the year. It would also inspire the Broadway musical Carnival.

d. Charles Walters, 81m, 35mm

Courtesy of Park Circus and Warner Brothers Classics.

Co-presented by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.