Funny Face

Synopsis
Maggie Prescott (Kay Thompson) is a fashion magazine publisher and editor, for Quality magazine, who is looking for the next big fashion trend. She wants a new look for the magazine. Maggie wants the look to be both "beautiful" and "intellectual". She and famous fashion photographer Dick Avery (Fred Astaire) want models who can "think as well as they look." The two brainstorm and come up with the idea to find a "sinister" looking book store in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan. They subsequently locate a bookstore named "Embryo Concepts".

Maggie and Dick take over Embryo Concepts, which is being run by the shy bookshop clerk and amateur philosopher, Jo Stockton (Audrey Hepburn). Jo thinks the fashion and modeling industry is nonsense, saying: "it is chichi, and an unrealistic approach to self-impressions as well as economics". Maggie decides to use Jo in the first fashion shot, to give it a more intellectual look. After the first shot Maggie locks Jo out of the shop to shut her up.

Jo wants more than anything else in the world to go to Paris and attend the famous philosopher and professor Emile Flostre's (Michel Auclair) lectures about empathicalism. When Dick gets back to the dark room, he sees something in Jo's face which is "new" and "fresh", and which would be perfect for the campaign, giving it "character", "spirit", and "intelligence".

They send for Jo and start treating her like a doll, trying to make her over, pulling at her clothes and attempting to cut her hair. She rebels and runs away, only to hide in the darkroom where Dick is working. When Dick mentions Paris, Jo becomes very interested in that she would get a chance to see Professor Flostre, and is finally convinced to model.

Soon Maggie, Dick, and Jo are off to Paris to prepare for a major fashion event, shooting photos at famous landmarks from the area. During the various photo shoots Jo and Dick develop feelings for each other, and they fall in love.

One night when Jo is getting ready for a gala, she learns that Professor Flostre is giving a lecture at a cafe nearby. She attends, forgetting the gala. Eventually Dick finds her and they get into an argument, which involves Jo being publicly embarrassed and Maggie outraged.

Jo goes to talk to Professor Flostre at his home. Through some scheming, Maggie and Dick make it into Flostre's home and confront Jo and Flostre. This eventually leads to Dick causing Flostre to fall and knock himself out. Jo urges them to leave. When Flostre wakes up, he tries to make a pass at Jo. Shocked at the behavior of her "idol", she smashes a vase over his head and runs out.

Before the group leaves for home, there is a final fashion show. Jo and Maggie try to get in touch with Dick, who has made plans to leave Paris. Jo does the runway show and before her wedding gown finale, she looks out the window and sees the plane Dick was supposed to be on, take off. Heartbroken, she runs off the runway in tears at the conclusion of the show.

Meanwhile, Dick is at the airport. He runs into Flostre and learns that Jo bashed him on the head with a vase. Dick, realizing how much he cares, goes back to find Jo. He goes back to the runway show, only to find that Jo ran off. Finally, after a long search, Dick finds Jo (in the wedding gown) by a little church where they shared a romantic moment during the photo shoot. They embrace and kiss.

Cast

 * Audrey Hepburn as Jo Stockton
 * Fred Astaire as Dick Avery
 * Kay Thompson as Maggie Prescott
 * Michel Auclair as Professor Emile Flostre
 * Robert Flemyng as Paul Duval
 * Dovima as Marion
 * Suzy Parker as Specialty Dancer (Pink Number)
 * Sunny Hartnett as Specialty Dancer (Pink Number)
 * Jean Del Val as Hairdresser
 * Virginia Gibson as Babs
 * Sue England as Laura
 * Ruta Lee as Lettie
 * Alex Gerry as Dovitch
 * Iphigenie Castiglioni as Armande

Songs

 * 'S Wonderful - from Funny Face (1927 musical)
 * Think Pink!
 * How Long Has This Been Going On?- from "Funny Face"
 * Funny Face - from Funny Face
 * Bonjour, Paris!
 * Clap Yo' Hands - from Oh, Kay!
 * He Loves and She Loves - from Funny Face
 * On How to Be Lovely
 * Basal Metabolism - from Funny Face
 * Let's Kiss and Make Up - from "Funny Face"
 * Tristan und Isolde - Richard Wagner

Awards
The National Board of Review gave the film Special Citation award for the photographic innovations. Leonard Gershe was nominated for "Best Written American Musical" by the Writers Guild of America. Stanley Donen was nominated by the Directors Guild of America for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures" and for a "Golden Palm" at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. Fred Astaire received a Golden Laurel nomination for "Top Male Musical Performance". The film received four Academy Award "Oscar" nominations: Leonard Gershe for "Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen"; Edith Head and Hubert de Givenchy (Hepburn's costume designer) for "Best Costume Design"; Ray June for "Best Cinematography"; and Hal Pereira, George W. Davis, Sam Comer, and Ray Moyer for "Best Art Direction-Set Decoration".

Cultural References
In the fall of 2006, clothing retailer The Gap used footage from Funny Face in its commercials for its Skinny Black Pant. In the commercials, Hepburn's dance number is paired with the song "Back in Black" by AC/DC.

In the episode of Gilmore Girls titled "S'Wonderful S'Marvelous", (taken from the George and Ira Gershwin song "S'Wonderful") Lorelai Gilmore and Christopher Hayden watch Funny Face on a date.

In 1990, pop diva Whitney Houston used Hepburn's character from Funny Face as a tribute to Hollywood's Golden Age in her video "I'm Your Baby Tonight."

A new Silkstone Barbie designed to look like Jo Stockton. It was only available to 2008 Barbie conventioneers.

DVD Release
To date, Funny Face has been released to DVD in Region 1 (North America) in two editions from Paramount Home Entertainment: in 2001 as part of the "Audrey Hepburn Widescreen Collection" series, and again in 2007 in a 50th Anniversary edition. The 2007 version has additional featurettes as well as improved picture and sound quality from the 2001 edition. In January 2009, as part of the Centennial Collection, many of Audrey Hepburn's popular films which include "Funny Face" were remastered in high-definition and featured additional features not included in the 2007 edition such as Kay Thompson's "Think Pink", "This is Vistavision" and "Fashion Photographers Exposed".