Gigi (1958)

Isabel Jeans: Aunt Alicia

Photos 

Quotes 

• Aunt Alicia : Love, my dear Gigi, is a thing of beauty like a work of art, and like a work of art it is created by artists. The greater the artist the greater the art. And what makes an artist?

  Gigi : Cigars and jewelry?

  Aunt Alicia : Gigi, you're from another planet.

• Aunt Alicia : Marriage is not forbidden to us, but instead of getting married at once, it sometimes happens we get married at last.

• Aunt Alicia : Did you work hard in school today? What did you study?

  Gigi : History. Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo.

  Aunt Alicia : How depressing. What else?

  Gigi : English.

  Aunt Alicia : English? I suppose we must. They refuse to learn French.

• Aunt Alicia : Bad table manners, my dear Gigi, have broken up more households than infidelity.

• Aunt Alicia : Liane d'Exelmans has commited suicide... again!

• Aunt Alicia : Such stupidity is without equal in the whole history of human relations.

• [Aunt Alicia proudly displays a dazzling emerald from her collection] 

  Gigi : Who gave it to you, Aunt?

  Aunt Alicia : A king!

  Gigi : A great king?

  Aunt Alicia : No, a little one. Great kings do not give very large stones.

  Gigi : Why not?

  Aunt Alicia : In my opinion it's because they don't feel they have to.

  Gigi : Well, who does give the valuable jewels?

  Aunt Alicia : Who? Oh the shy, the proud, and the social climbers, because they think it's a sign of culture. But it doesn't matter who gives them, as long as you never wear anything second-rate. Wait for the first-class jewels, Gigi. Hold on to your ideals.

• Aunt Alicia : Without knowledge of jewelery, my dear Gigi, a woman is lost.

• Aunt Alicia : Where is she? Perhaps I should talk to her again and tell her what she's missing. It's the *glory* of romance, forgetting everything in the arms of the man who adores you, listening to the music of *love* in an eternal spring.

  Madame Alvarez : And when eternal spring is over?

  Aunt Alicia : Oh, what difference does that make?

  Madame Alvarez : It makes a great deal of difference to Gigi. And may I tell you something? I'm not sure I don't agree with her.

  Aunt Alicia : You're a fool! And your granddaughter takes after you.

• Aunt Alicia : And how is your dear father? Well, I hope.

  Gaston Lachaille : He has diabetes.

  Aunt Alicia : Well, I suppose if you are in the sugar business...

• [Aunt Alicia leaves her apartment for the first time in decades after hearing Gigi has rejected Gaston. She storms into the Alvarez apartment] 

  Aunt Alicia : Now, would you repeat that again, please?

  Madame Alvarez : She... she doesn't want to.

  Aunt Alicia : She doesn't want to.?

  Madame Alvarez : She doesn't want to.

  Aunt Alicia : Such stupidity is without equal in the entire history of human relations. It must be your fault. It must be! You must have emphasized all the difficulties instead of all the delights. What did you say to the little monster?

  Madame Alvarez : Oh no, Alicia! Gigi perhaps is a little slow about certain things but just because she isn't attracted to Gaston Lachaille doesn't make her a monster.

  Aunt Alicia : Doesn't make her a princess!

• Aunt Alicia : Slowly, Gigi. Slowly. The racing season is over.

• Gigi : I'm always on my own. Why does Grandmama stop me from accepting invitations?

  Aunt Alicia : She's right for once. You'd only be invited by ordinary people.

  Gigi : What about us? Aren't we ordinary people?

  Aunt Alicia : No.

  Gigi : Why are we different?

  Aunt Alicia : They have weak heads and careless bodies. Besides, they are married.

• Aunt Alicia : Today you will learn to eat ortolans.

  Gigi : What are ortolans, Aunt?

  Aunt Alicia : Exquisite little birds. Most people attack them like cannibals. You must learn to eat them properly.

• Aunt Alicia : Come over here to the light, Gigi. Open your mouth. With teeth like that, I could have devoured all Paris and most of Europe. But I can't complain. I had a good bite of it.

• Aunt Alicia : You have an impossible nose, a nondescript mouth, your cheekbones are too high. But, we can do something with the rest of you. Your teeth, your eyes, your eyelashes, your hair. We can - and we will.

• Aunt Alicia : You must learn to choose cigars.

  Gigi : Aunt, but I don't smoke cigars.

  Aunt Alicia : Of course you don't smoke cigars. But a man does.

• Aunt Alicia : How marvelous! Paris agog.

• Madame Alvarez : When was the suicide?

  Aunt Alicia : Last night.

  Madame Alvarez : How did she do it?

  Aunt Alicia : The usual way, insufficient poison. Say, how many times has she done it now?

• Madame Alvarez : Gigi? Do you really think...?

  Aunt Alicia : It's a chance. But a chance that we must take. From now on, dear sister, it's work, work, work - lessons, lessons, lessons.

• Aunt Alicia : That's better. You have to fully enjoy the aroma. On your first sip, hold it on the roof of your mouth for a moment and breathe through your nose. Then, you will feel the flavor.

• Aunt Alicia : Now, you will try it once more. Remember, you will go to the door properly, turn, walk in properly, and sit down properly. Now, go on. And not like a marionette. Keep your shoulders level. Now turn, walk back, and sit down. And don't flop into the chair! *Insinuate* yourself. That's better. Now rise and exit the same way. Oh, don't jump up! *Ascend*.

• Aunt Alicia : Pick up the coffeepot with one hand and the cup and saucer with the other. Always both. *Never* the coffeepot alone.

  Gigi : Like this, Aunt?

  Aunt Alicia : You must have a grip on the saucer that is firm. but not obviously so. The saucer must seem so much a part of your fingers that one would think it could only be removed by surgery. Now pour - and be sure the coffeepot is upright before you take the cup away. There must be no drops.

• Aunt Alicia : A bad year will be sharp. A good year, which this is, of course, will waft.

  Gigi : Oh, marvelous.

• Aunt Alicia : When you speak to Gigi, be sure and stress the difficulties of the situation, rather than the delights. The role she will have to play. She's a naive, thoughtless girl. You must warn her not to ask him for the moon. Not only will he not give it to her...

  Madame Alvarez : Don't worry about her. You will think she's like you. Actually, you don't know her. There's no meanness in her at all.

  Aunt Alicia : Thank you very much.

  Madame Alvarez : I mean, she has no material ambition.

  Aunt Alicia : I understand. I understand.

• Aunt Alicia : What did you say to her? Did you tell her about love, travel, moonlight, Italy? About hummingbirds in all the flowers and making *love* in a gardenia-scented garden?

  Madame Alvarez : I couldn't tell her that, Alicia. I've never been further than the Riviera.

  Aunt Alicia : Couldn't you have invented it?