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"Ah, Yes" the Academy Remembers it Well with Leslie Caron

September 20, 2008

Beverly Hills,CA(RUSHPRNEWS)09/20/2008-- Traveling from her home in Paris, French actress and dancer Leslie Caron will be celebrated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in an evening of film and conversation, including the premiere of a new digital restoration of the 1958 Best Picture winner "Gigi," on Friday, October 10, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Film critic Stephen Farber will host the onstage conversation.At the age of 19, Caron made her film debut in the 1951 musical "An American in Paris." She had been selected in Paris, where she made a screen test with Gene Kelly, the film's star and choreographer. While she went on to partner with another legendary dancer, Fred Astaire, in the musical "Daddy Long Legs" (1955), Caron also made a successful transition into comedies and dramas.

Her many roles include the title role in "Fanny" (1961), opposite her "Gigi" co-star Maurice Chevalier, and the role of schoolmistress Catherine Freneau in "Father Goose" (1964), opposite Cary Grant. She earned Best Actress Oscar® nominations for her performances in "Lili" in 1953 and "The L-Shaped Room" in 1963, and most recently appeared in "Chocolat" and "Le Divorce."

In "Gigi" Caron portrays a young courtesan-to-be involved in a platonic relationship with rich playboy, Gaston Lachaille (Louis Jourdan), that blossoms into romance.

"Gigi" swept all nine of the Academy Award® categories in which it was nominated. The film was selected to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 1991.

This event is being presented in cooperation with the American Cinematheque and the Sasnta Monica Puppetry Center. For information about the events being held by those organizations in Caron's honor, visit americancinematheque.com or puppetmagic.com.

Support for this program has been provided by Air France, with cooperation from the French Consulate of Los Angeles.

Please note that "An Academy Salute to Leslie Caron" is sold out. Additional tickets typically become available at the last minute due to "no-shows" or cancellations. Consequently, there will be a stand-by line, which will form at the corner of Almont Drive and Wilshire Boulevard. Stand-by numbers will be given out at approximately 5:30 p.m. The number of stand-by tickets to be sold will be determined shortly before the start of the event. All seating is unreserved.

The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.
For more information call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org/events.
Editors: Downloadable images are available at http://http://photos.oscars.org/

# # #

About the Academy:  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world's preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema.

In addition to the annual Academy Awards - in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners - the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history.

Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

 
©A.M.P.A.S.®
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
8949 Wilshire Boulevard Beverly Hills, CA 90211-1972
(310) 247-3000
www.oscars.org
publicity@oscars.org

CONTACT: Teni Melidonian - (310) 247-3090
tmelidonian@oscars.org

 PHOTO: Leslie Caron as she appears in GIGI, 1958.  credit: Courtesy of the Margaret Herrick

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