aciolino I see that several reviewers have used the word, "Haunting," in describing this film, as did I. If you allow yourself, "Lili" will speak to you on many, many levels, several you won't recognize right away, and this makes it haunting. There's always something "else" going on that's just beneath the surface. This makes for very rich and profound entertainment. A fairy tale? Perhaps, that too. Consider the topics touched on: alcoholism, rape, infidelity, suicide... this is serious entertainment, couched in sweetness and light. Visually, Lili is a fascinating film to watch. The color, although vivid, is not the overwhelming and oppressive color of an MGM 40's musical which only interferes with the talent. Here the viewer feels as if they are reading an old children's book filled with lovely illustrations.There is multi-layered meaning one would not expect in such a "light" story. But it is intelligent, has depth and is profound, not the least reason is the presence and use of puppets. SPOILERS ALERT! This is done beautifully, as they represent, not only the puppeteers' inner life but the mystical quality of the puppets themselves. The dance between Caron and the puppets "come to life" near the end is magical and moving for precisely these reasons. All the actors are perfectly cast. Do not hesitate to let yourself really enjoy this film fully, completely and deeply. Let your imagination fly. It will be worth it and you'll be surprised what you come up with and don't be surprised if you shed a tear when it's over. And that song! Bravo!

grantss Sweet little story.The story of a 16-year old orphaned girl, Lili (played by Leslie Caron), who, after main trials and tribulations, gets a job in a carnival as a puppeteer's assistant. The story of misplaced love, unrequited love, innocence and innocence lost.Very moving story. Leslie Caron is wonderful as Lili and Mel Ferrer puts in a solid performance as Paul, the puppeteer. On the negative side, it is over far too quickly. Not just because it is so good and you want more, but it felt like some more detail was required. It just seems to move so fast - some time to stop, take a breath and contemplate was in order.

moatazmohsen78 This film was a spirit of France upon their shows and Melodies by a brilliant dancer , actress and singer Lisile Caron upon this film which was a preparation roots for a more marvelous movie (Gigi) with Louis Jordan and the second one in France The country of arts , culture , beauty and merry melodies.The Muppet's of this story played a great role and cause for making a magic moment in this film which made a funny feelings for audience to be fond of this film every moment because of their eternal story , songs , shows and acting.An Important point in art (the finishing) which enter any art work in the eternity as this film by a brilliant end by the funny spirit of Muppet's that congratulated the lovers on their marriage after the victory of their love in spite of hard situations.

MartinHafer This is a nice film that has many wonderful moments but also suffers from too much padding. It's really a shame, as the wonderful moments are so enchanting and I really wanted to love this film--instead, it's good but not great.Leslie Caron plays the title character, a sweet but rather simple-minded young lady. She is an orphan and has no place to go, so this 16 year-old follows a magician back to the traveling circus--hoping that he'll feel sorry for her and ask her to stay. Considering that Marc (Jean-Pierre Aumont) is such a dashing and seemingly nice man, it's no wonder she's taken by him. However, Aumont is actually married and the only one who might help her is the very gloomy and morose puppeteer, Paul (Mel Ferrer). Oddly, however, although Paul is a grouchy jerk, through his puppets he's able to tell Lili how he really feels and they make a wonderful act--with Lili talking to Paul through the puppets. But, despite their act catching on, Paul never can let go of his bitterness until finally Lili has no choice but to leave. In the end, it's up to Lili to either stay away or go back to this weasel who loves her but mistreats her badly.Throughout the film, there are lengthy interludes that involve surrealistic dream sequences--complete with singing and dancing. Unfortunately, these sequences serve to completely undo the magic the film has created--and they are rather boring to boot. Had they just stuck with the story and avoided these segments (that seem strongly inspired by the film, AN American IN Paris), the overall effort would have been significantly better. Still, it's a decent film for the family--just don't be surprised if you find yourself speeding through the dream segments.