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Directed by: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly Starring: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Conner, Jean Hagen, Debbie Reynolds One the most ineffective movie titles in the history of Hollywood, Singing in the Rain is an upbeat musical comedy about a film studio that struggles with the transition from silent films to sound. Don Lockwood (Kellly) is stuck in a phony relationship with the clueless Lina, who assumes their onscreen romance carries over to the real world. Don and his friend Cosmo team up with Kathy, a chorus girl who displays great talents, to make a musical out of their latest project. Don and Kathy fall in love, but Lina constantly tries to convince him that he’s in love with her, completely oblivious to his indifference towards her and her complete lack of talent. Singing in the Rain is a rare film from the traditionally imperturbable Hollywood, turning the camera on itself with uncommon sense of self-deprecating humor, poking fun at many of the ridiculous conventions of the industry and lifestyle of the stars. The use of sound in the film is brilliantly comedic, and gives audiences a chance to see the behind the scenes workings of how films are made. The songs are contagiously energetic and catchy, and the footwork by Kelly and O’Conner is impressive. It’s hard to judge the quality of the acting, since so much of it is simply dancing around and singing and not developing characters, but the pair keep the pulse of the film strong with their great sense of comedic timing. Jean Hagen captures the obnoxious Lina perfectly, speaking with an annoying nasal tone, and constantly begging for approval from her acting coach. The production values of the dance numbers are quite impressive, with a rich palate of color and theatrical camera work complementing the self-awareness of the films artificiality. There’s a good variety of musical and dance genres on display, from vaudeville to Broadway and Latin-influenced. At it’s roots, Singing in the Rain is a movie about movies both at the level of form and content, which gives it a tremendous amount of flavor and raw entertainment. There is absolutely no trace pretentiousness or aspiration of philosophical depth at work; the movie knows what it is, and achieves it flawlessly. PROS: Great music and dance numbers, brilliant humor and self-awarness CONS: Musicals aren't a popular genre anymore, so most audiences might not be able to warm up to it ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
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May 3, 2004 22:56
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This movie is one of the most well done musicals, in the friendship of the actors and their remarkable glee portraying actors. You should really be ashamed of yourself if you have no seen this movie.
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May 3, 2004 23:29
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This is the musical for everyone who can't watch musicals. Funny, bouncy and light. The best musical ever made.
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May 4, 2004 19:33
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The only part I didn't like was the lengthy "Broadway Melody" ballet. I loved the "crazy veil" section of it, but 13 minutes of song and dance without any narrative development is just too much for me (I had a similar stumbling block with The Red Shoes). But for the rest of the movie, I was grinning with glee. The gorgeous Technicolor is stunning. Rating: 4.5
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Feb 9, 2005 21:25
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