TODAY · 7:00pm

An American in Paris - Movie Screening

Name: An American in Paris - Movie Screening
Start: 2026-10-29T19:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-10-29T21:15:00-05:00
Location: French Legation State Historic Site

Thursday, October 29 at French Legation State Historic Site, Austin

French Legation State Historic Site · East $5.00

About this event

Step onto the historic grounds of the French Legation for our outdoor film series Painted Dreams & Western Horizons. Rooted in the Legation’s legacy of hosting Cinema East, a beloved tradition of communal, open-air screenings, this curated program invites audiences to experience films that traverse continents, artistic traditions, and eras of storytelling. On October 29, enjoy An American in Paris: three friends struggle to find work in Paris. Things become more complicated when two of them fall in love with the same woman. Rated G. 1 hour 54 minutes. Tickets $5 for adults (children 17 and under free with an adult) Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and movie begins at 7:00 p.m. Refreshments available in the Visitor Center.

Who's playing

The film is the 1951 MGM musical starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron. Three friends struggle to find work in Paris, and things get complicated when two of them fall for the same woman. The series also draws on Karen Maness, an artist and author who wrote The Art of the Hollywood Backdrop. She speaks separately about the painted scenery behind films like this one.

What to expect

This is an outdoor screening on the Legation's historic grounds, in the spirit of Cinema East, the communal open-air film tradition the site is known for. Early arrivals may catch a short lecture and a look at an original motion picture backdrop on display in the site. Refreshments are sold in the Visitor Center.

Why go

The French Legation dates to 1841, when it was a diplomatic outpost for France in the Republic of Texas. Watching a postwar Paris musical there gives the French theme a real local tie. The series is built around how painted scenery and place shape movies, so this one suits anyone curious about classic Hollywood craft.