If there is one thing that Hollywood will always love it’s a film about Hollywood. And of all the films about on the subject, there are a few that stand above the rest; films like Singin’ in the Rain, a romantic- comedy musical about the shift from silents to talkies, dancing and singing, and toeses and roses.
Having grown up with the film, it was a delight, like seeing it for the first time, watching it after all these years. The jokes were snappier, the dancing more beautiful, the story more touching--and the film more enchanting than I’d remembered. It is, in my opinion since you asked for my reaction, a wonderful piece of cinema and excellent filmmaking that brings me more joy than I recalled it bringing me when I was a kid. But enough warm-fuzzies, let’s to the report.
Forget that it is an enchanting film is--it is a well executed film. Not only is the dancing a treat to watch, but it is well placed. The main characters don’t just break into the song at random places in the film with the whole cast suddenly knowing the song and dance routine with them, the dialogue and scene lead into the numbers with dialogue. Even something seemingly irrelevant like “Make ‘em Laugh” is well placed with a good lead in. The song and dance numbers lend themselves to the pacing of them film. Plus, it’s a Gene Kelly musical--it wouldn’t be the same if the plot wasn’t punctuated by song and dance routines. At times, the numbers even lend themselves to the plot; among them are “You Were Meant for Me” which helps develop the romance between Don Lockwood and Kathy Selden and “All I Do Is Dream of You” is a logical component of that scene. While not all of them help move the plot along, all of them are well placed and lend themselves to the feel of the film as a romantic-comedy musical.
In fact, everything in this film actively contributes to the feel. The colors are bright, vibrant, cheerful, and they pop. The sets, even the ones at night, are well lit. It’s not a dark film in the least bit. The cinematography is straightforward with simple, uncomplicated shots letting the actors propel the story rather than the camera. The dance scenes have as little cuts as necessary to allow the audience to really enjoy Gene Kelly’s fancy footwork. Unlike Psycho where the camera and lighting are used to really tell the audience what to see, or not see, Singin’ has a more neutral camera and the color scheme is used in a different way. In Singin’, the colors are used in a practical, more “realistic” (in a sense), way or to evoke a certain emotion rather than in Psycho where the “colors” were used to symbolize things and create tension. The lighting is less dramatic without the dark, contrasting shadows that Hitchcock employs in his film. Singin’ uses the technical aspects of filmmaking to keep the film lighthearted and enchanting as well as convey the romanticised golden age of Hollywood.
While Singin’ is at heart a romance, it is also a film about Hollywood and the public’s fascination. The opening half hour, or so, is a prime example. We have a red carpet premiere with larger than life figures dressed in ridiculous costumes being adored by their screaming fans. Following that, Lockwood gives a highly fantasized account of his life knowing that his unromantic life won’t sell well. Then there is Lina Lamont who thoroughly believes all the press about her and Lockwood being a couple showing the level of obsession with Hollywood’s stars at the time. The obsession is taken a step further when Lockwood can’t even have normal car trouble. Instead, the annoyance of a broken-down car is coupled with the insanity of rabid fans clawing at him. His clothes are torn to shreds as she narrowly escapes. The film highlights the obsessive behavior of its devotees in the opening.
But the opening also starts a recurring theme within the film: the idea of reality vs. the tabloids. Throughout the whole film, Lamont cannot seem to understand that what’s written in the fan magazines about her supposed romance with Lockwood is not reality. She seems to think that because it is in print, that it is fact. Even Selden believes it to be true until Lockwood informs her otherwise. Lockwood blurs the line between reality and the tabloids even further when gives an exclusive interview near the end of the film to all the papers in town to preserve her image of herself as “a shimmering, glowing star in the cinema firmament,” something she seems to believe despite the fact that her voice could break glass. Reality wins out in the end, of course, but not without a fight by Lamont.
In summation, the film highlights, fictionalizes, and lampoons to some extent the golden days of Hollywood all while telling a touching love story. It is punctuated by entertaining and well-placed song and dance numbers, and polished by effective technique that brings the audience “a little joy into … [their] humdrum lives.”
Works Cited
Kelly, Gene, perf. Singin' in the Rain. Dir. Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly. MGM, 1952. Film.
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