i am young, and i have watched it many a time and it warms my heart each time. wholeheartedly my favorite musical. never taking itself too seriously it delivers laughs and pure hollywood wonderment. make em laugh has to one of my favorite numbers ever.
Yeah I don’t think this one has a lot to do with age. The movie is so colorful and spectacular it has the ability to dazzle newcomers, the dancing is just incredible (what The Red Shoes did for many girls and ballet, this movie did with me and tap dancing—too bad I never followed up on that, though), the humor… Plus, as a meta-Hollywood production, it fully dedicates itself to the magic of the studio system before everything got so darned cynical. The more abstract dance sequences, however, are my favorite. Vibrant and gorgeous, they can almost be taken on their own.
—PolarisDiB
Polaris, I’m not so sure about that “before it got so cynical” point. After all, the whole point of the scenes shown during Don’s radio speech is to undermine his platitudes about making it in Hollywood. There’s no question that it was done with a smile and a wink, but still, there is a sort of pleasant cynicism underlying the story. In fact, I would argue that the point of the film, in as much as it has one is that the audience, us, wants to believe the lies or the myths rather than be given the truth. Which is why I think the movie is even better than many people allow given that there is such a pronounced tendecny to think of it as “merely” enterntainment.
Well, and the first abstract sequence is really dark. Nevertheless, the majority of the movie glories in the color, movement, passion, and dreams, which ultimately are reinforced even as the curtain raises to reveal the illusion.
Ultimately, it’s metaHollywood, understanding it’s own problems, but still living the dream. Another example of this would be the later Paris When It Sizzles , a ninety minute parody of the act of screenwriting a movie that’s sole purpose is to bring the lead actor’s and supporting actress’s lips together, which is why successfully ends on that very shot.
—PolarisDiB
Yes, it reinforces dreams, like Liberty Valance’s famous “print the legend”.
It is very interesting how this movie uses Jean Hagin’s character. She could be a tragic figure, her career and respect ending because of the silent era, but the movie goes out of its way to show her ego and also set up a sort of class statement what with both Don and Kathy coming from blue collar roots. Jean Hagen, however, also really helps out with her fantastic performance as someone we’re not supposed to like, showing her sense of humor for herself while also, unfortunately, sort of damaging her own career by becoming such a successful annoyance that people thought she actually was one. Taking a look at The Asphalt Jungle, you learn that that woman deserved much more credit for what she gave to movies than she ended up with.
—PolarisDiB
-In fact, I would argue that the point of the film, in as much as it has one is that the audience, us, wants to believe the lies or the myths rather than be given the truth.-
-It is very interesting how this movie uses Jean Hagin’s character.-
Yeah to both. It’s interesting that the film establishes as a central dramatic presence that Debbie Reynolds’ character Kathy has to dub Hagen’s Lina’s singing voice, yet Kathy’s singing voice was dubbed by Betty Noyes, except for the scene at the end where Kathy is supposedly dubbing Lina’s voice, but the voice you hear is actually Hagen’s, thus reversing the fictional premise.
That’s some dynamic trivia. Also, another darker side to this is how the woman who played Kathy was pushed to the point of her feet bleeding for the dance routine inside the apartment by Gene Kelly, who of course is supposed to be sympathetic and caring beyond just the needs of show business. But that is sort of what I mean about the message. There is an underlying darkness and its acknowledgment of it, but it still structures itself towards an argument, need for the whole process, whereas today these negative associations would be much more strongly provoked.
—PolarisDiB
“Singin’ in the Rain” was the first movie I ever saw — at Radio City Music Hall in 1952.
I was five years old. I thought ALL movies would be this great.
As we know its been downhill ever since.
“Singin’ in the Rain” is a “catalogue musical.” That was what MGM called its musicals built around the works of songwriters and/or teams: “Till the Clouds Roll by” (Jerome Kern), “Words and Music” (Rodgers and Hart) “An American in Pairs” (The Gershwins) In this case the catalogue was that of producer-songwriter Arthur Freed and his collaborator Nacio Herb Borwn.
As most of thie hits were written in the late 20s/ early 30’s Comden and Green decided to create a story set there. So they devised this gem o gems about what happened when sound came in. Many of the gags are based on very real incidents (ie. the problem of where to place the mic.) and other things (“This is a Talking Picture” shown in the party scene is based on a real film)
Debbie Reynolds was 18 years old. She has said "The two hardest things I’ve done in my love were giving birht and ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ "
It was worth it, Debbie. And never forget DIGNITY — ALWAYS DIGNITY!
This is a film I’ve never been able to warm up to, at least in part due to my intense dislike of Gene Kelly. I generally find his work rather stale and lifeless, for all the energy — I always get the impression that they are just rehearsed to death and beyond. And that shit-eating grin just grates on my nerves. I never find the story interesting, the characters engaging, or, well, much of anything at all to justify the, to me, insanely surrealistically over-high reputation this little movie continues to enjoy.
Yeah, I’ll cop to digging the title number, especially when he just starts stomping around in the water, but every time he starts screaming “Gotta Dance” I start praying for him to break legs.
Definitely one of my “Desert Island movies.” It just never gets old. There are so many things to love – the insider-ness of the plot, the delicious comedy of Jean Hagen (the part was actually written for Judy Holliday, but after she hit it big with the film of Born Yesterday, no one thought she would take a supporting role, so they gave it to her Born Yesterday Broadway understudy, Ms. Hagen), the timeless songs, the outrageous costumes, the movies within the movie (“No, no, no!” “Yes, yes, yes!”), CYD CHARISSE, and, of course, the dancing. You’re absolutely right, Polaris – after watching this at 10 years old, I turned to my mother and said, “I want to do THAT,” and had her sign me up for tap classes. And I still dance to this very day.
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN is really amazing film, I saw it again last week and it does have elements that get more interesting as the movie goes along. The film is incredibly perceptive about celebrity and identity and performance.
thanks for all those really interesting posts – you know, my mother and father worked in the remote bush in Australia and we got to see movies like this about once a month – on a canvas screen from a projector, sitting in a deck chair
- we were so far from the city, and under the bright stars – watching all this wonderful stuff that was sooo
sophisticated –
the movies came in big tin reels and had to go back on the next DC3
In those days if people in the bush had good singing voices they sang for everyone and my mum and dad and grandad had great voices – so they learned all the songs from this movie- and for a long time after they would ’’sing’’ the movie back into eing there with everyone there in the bush – it was so great I remember them singing these songs as if it was yesterday
The dancing and songs are very good, indeed. I’m not a big fan of musicals but this film was so damn good and freakin entertaining that I had a huge smile on my face during the whole thing
Susanne- “my mother and father worked in the remote bush in Australia and we got to see movies like this about once a month – on a canvas screen from a projector, sitting in a deck chair”… That is a great story. Thanks for sharing it.
One of my favorites. I randomly get “Good Mornin’” in my head. Love the dancing in this film.
@Roscoe,
I love Gene Kelly’s style, even though I typically do not care for his movies per se. Singin’ in the Rain managed to work for me beyond his dancing performances, whereas An American in Paris I pretty much only sat through for the dances (that one down the street with the kids, however, that is art squared). He has this pounding, low center of gravity style that is different than the floaty and gravity-less style of Frank Sinatra (which is also amazing because of the different style).
Yes, Kelly’s sort of deranged work-ethic approach to dance makes it weird to see as expressions of that vague term art which is typically considered so cerebral, but like his character, it ultimately ended up playing up to the blue-collar viewers as well who like a little stomp and bellow to their performance.
—PolarisDiB
Polaris, I think you mean the floaty and gravity-less style of Fred Astaire, rather than Frank Sinatra, but yes, points taken.
I can take Kelly in very very very very small doses, and find that the less he does, the more I like him. Probably my favorite Kelly moment is the number you mention in the generally agonizing AMERICAN IN PARIS, “I Got Rhythm” with those great kids. But his bigger more ambitious stuff, like that interminable ballet, just bores me senseless.
Susanne – Never been farther east than the North American east coast. Also never been farther west than the North American west coast. But for a few minutes there you transported me to the isolated Australian bush.
Polaris has done some homework on this film. Thankyou and also thanks to Matt Parks.
A ‘desert island movie’, Dan? Right on !
Gad what a mushy thread. Where is that guy Dimitris?
“Polaris, I think you mean the floaty and gravity-less style of Fred Astaire, rather than Frank Sinatra, but yes, points taken.”
Oy. There goes me mixing up people again. I’m too bad at that (ironically, considering Maverick’s “homework” comment).
YES. Fred Astaire’s floatiness. And that ballet is certainly strangely placed in Singin in the Rain , which I think the Coen’s do some good goofiness on in their strange placement of a parody of it in Hudsucker Proxy (the Coen brothers seem to really want to make a musical, but cannot figure out how to do it the way they want, so they’ve stuck to dream sequences [Hudsucker, Lebowski] and a sort of off-musical in O Brother, Where Art Thou? They should just let themselves loose and make a Moulin Rouge esque musical without all the quick takes and postmodern portmanteau).
—PolarisDiB
Susanne Harford
i’m old, so I have watched this stirling film many times as a child – with my darling parents
it is still one of the best…..I recommend it for sheer love of life and optimism
about the (fairly stupid, but there is SOME hope) human race
- good watching xs