This is one of the sweetest movies I've ever seen. When I say the movie is sweet, it manages to do so without being cheesy. Leslie Caron is in the title role as a young woman who finds herself pregnant after consummating her relationship with Marius, a young man who has a lust to travel and hates being tied down. The next day he leaves for the long sea journey that he's longed for since childhood. When Fanny learns of her condition, she accepts a proposal from the elderly Panisse (Maurice Chevalier) and he gives all of his love and acceptance to both her and her child. Marius returns after the child is born, never having known until he returns that he is a father. He wants Fanny back, and he and Panisse square off in a showdown over both Fanny and her child. However, Fanny has something to say about this too. It's a great film about love, responsibility, selfishness, and the root of true happiness.

It is my favorite Leslie Caron movie and a great role for Chevalier in his later years. After having just recently seen the Ernst Lubitsch musicals Chevalier starred in thirty years before, I have to say he may have grayed but he never lost that essential indescribable charm he had in his youth.

A little more than 35 years after originally recording this movie for Mom on VHS, we both finally got to watch this on DVD just now. Leslie Caron plays the title role as a woman who loves a man who's going out to sea because he wants to explore the outside world, not feel stifled at being at the same place all his life. Lots of complications concerning her, him, and his father and that father's friend abound. Horst Buchholz is the man, Charles Boyer is his dad, and Maurice Chevalier is that dad's friend. There's some humorous moments at the beginning before the drama takes over but there's some at the end as well. In summary, both Mom and me very much enjoyed Fanny.

I have seen four of Joshua Logan's films, South Pacific which I liked despite its flaws(for example colour filtering),Camelot which I had mixed feelings about(loved the songs and production values, didn't much like the pace and singing),Paint Your Wagon which I didn't really like(the story as well as the singing let it down) and this, Fanny-more drama- which I thoroughly enjoyed.

1961's Fanny is not completely perfect, it is perhaps overlong and a tad too leisurely. And while the story is admittedly creaky, it does have plenty of charming and poignant moments to make up for it.

On the other hand, Fanny does have wonderful production values, consisting of luscious photography, beautifully constructed scenery and sets and gorgeous costumes. Another high point is the music, the background scoring is just amazing. My favourite song from the Broadway musical itself is Welcome Home, which is a masterpiece of a song with a poignant melody and poetic lyrics. It was a song I fell in love with after hearing Sherrill Milnes sing it in the late 80s. While Milnes was past prime there his voice even after his vocal health problems was in good shape singing this and he looked so thoughtful on stage too; it sounded so rich and noble, closing your eyes you would think it was early 70s rather than late 80s.

Anyway back to the film, the screenplay is infectious and funny as well as having a great deal of charm and poignancy, and Joshua Logan's direction is less studio-bound and smug than I have known it to be, in fact film wise this is his best and most consistent directing job. The acting is great. Leslie Caron is very beguiling, and while Charles Boyer is very good, Maurice Chevalier and especially Horst Buchholz are wonderful.

All in all, a very nice film and my personal favourite so far of Logan's films. 8/10 Bethany Cox