Coffee Messiah

Gigot - Jackie Gleason
1962

"Jackie Gleason played mute pauper in
early twentieth century Paris named Gigot.
Gigot is a simple minded man,
but one with a great heart and a love for others.
His ignorance and naivete make him an
easy target for the local villagers.
The adults and children of the town make him an object of ridicule,
and all the while he thinks that they are trying to be his friends.
Gigot works as a janitor, but the lady he works for,
who is no different from her fellow townsfolk,
takes advantage of him and pays him next to nothing.
His only friends are the local animals,
until one night he finds a Parisian streetwalker
and her young daughter abandonded on a doorstep.
He takes them back to the dirty cellar where he lives,
and he shares what little he has with them.
The woman is ungrateful, but Gigot puts on a show for her daughter,
and he and the little girl become fast friends.
Jackie Gleason is very good in what could be
his greatest big screen performance.

Gleasons portrayal is very Chaplinesque in its combination
of pathos and humor, and the movie's format and theme
are strongly reminiscent of those found in silent films.

The score, composed by Gleason and Michael Magne,
and the directing, done by Gene Kelly, are both more than adequate,
and the authentic French locations add a nice touch to the picture."

This film has not been transferred to anything,
since it first came out. I found a copy on VHS,
that someone else transferred from what
appears to be a TV screening.

If you can find yourself a copy,
you will not regret it.

One of the best films of all time!

how to live in peace
be my hero - october project
w/Mary Fahl