Virtues abound -- an all-Gershwin score, a likely tale, adept Gene Kelly, a delightful newcomer named Leslie Caron, a windup of dancing before imaginative settings and over all a spirit of crisp originality and sophistication.

Too fancy and overblown, but the two dancing lovers have infectious grins and the Gershwin music keeps everything good-spirited.

Gene Kelly -- star and choreographer -- never lets the jig-time slacken. The picture runs up the stairs and dances down the street. It never rests.

The climactic “An American in Paris Ballet” sequence is the film’s most famous, although I’ve always had a soft spot for Kelly singing “I Got Rhythm” with the assistance of a group of children.