Video on Demand, Part III

In 1962 Jackie Gleason made a a film for 20th Century Fox called GIGOT! ("Pronounced Gee-Go" so declared the film's poster.) Directed by Gene Kelly and written by Gleason, John Patrick and A.J. Russell, Gigot tells the story of a mute pauper in early twentieth century Paris. In what could have been dismissed as a vanity picture by a star at the top of his popularity, Gigot turns out to be one of Gleason's most endearing film performances. As a simple minded man with a great heart and a love for others, Gleason's naive Gigot becomes an easy target for the local villagers. A constant object of ridicule and a target for being taken advantage of, Gigot works as a janitor for next to nothing. Following a chance encounter with a Parisian streetwalker and her young daughter, Gigot shares what little he has with the ungrateful woman. At the heart of the film is Gigot's relationship with the little girl with whom he becomes fast friends. Gleason's portrayal is Chaplinesque in its use of pathos and humor, and the entire film is reminiscent of the silent era. In one scene after the little girl is seriously hurt and Gigot is unable to communicate with those who could help, he begins to strike himself out of frustration. Gleason the funny man becomes Gleason the great actor able to break your heart and make you feel his gut-wrenching frustration. I have never quite forgotten that scene. Gigot is a movie of simplistic beauty and and one that reaches its audience on so many levels. Gleason composed the film's soundtrack along with Mitchel Magne who was nominated for an Oscar for adapting Gleason's original music. Surprisingly Gleason was not nominated for any awards for his gentle, perceptive, and deeply profound work on the film. More amazingly the film has never enjoyed a VHS release and to this day is still not available on DVD. Occasionally the film pops up on late night TV and some cable channels. In 2004, William H. Macy remade the film for Cable TV updating it's story to a modern day big city in the USA. Re-titled The Wool Cap the remake benefited from Macy's insightful performance but gave in to the usual movie-of-the-week cliches that bogged the film down in the end. Like many fans of the original film, I first saw it as a child. It's tenderness and big-heart portrayal by Gleason would easily appeal to the children of today who could use a film like this for a change.