"Singin' in the Rain" **** (out of ****)
For something called the "Masterpiece Film Series" it must have seemed puzzling I had not included "Singin' in the Rain" as part of the series sooner. It bothered me too.
Generally regarded as one of the greatest American musicals of all time, "Singin' in the Rain" is simply put, a good old-fashion piece of Hollywood escapism which will put a smile on your face and a song in your heart.
For any of my readers who have never seen this film, it is a look back at the days when Hollywood was making the transition from silent pictures to talkies. Gene Kelly stars as charismatic leading man Don Lockwood, a Douglas Fairbanks Jr. swashbuckling type who is consistently paired with the beautiful Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), whom I suspect may be poking some fun at Jean Harlow with her platinum blonde hair and New York accent. Which leads us to the major conflict in the film. It has been decided that the latest film starring the two will be re-done as a talky, as box-office records are being set with the newly released "The Jazz Singer". For those who don't know "The Jazz Singer" was a real movie starring Al Jolson. It was the first film to feature spoken dialogue though a large percent of the film was silent.
The movie producers soon realize Lamont's voice is no good for talking pictures. She has a squeaky voice which doesn't match the sophisticated look she has on-screen. What will the studio do?
The film also co-stars Donald O' Connor and Debbie Reynolds. If you've never seen O' Connor in another film before you'd think he was a comic, especially after his "Make 'em Laugh" number, where he takes more pratfalls than Buster Keaton in "The General". But O' Connor, who plays Lockwood's best friend, Cosmo Brown, was actually a talented song and dance man himself. He never quite reached the heights of popularity of Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly but he was a very good dancer. He didn't normally play such goofy, off-the-wall characters as he does here. Watch him in the screen remake of Cole Porter's Broadway musical "Anything Goes" with Bing Crosby or the Irving Berlin musical "There's No Business Like Show Business".
"Singin' in the Rain" is usually thought to be a film about movies and how they were made. But I find the film to be a celebration of music and dance. The film pays homage to earlier MGM musicals.
Some may not know this but nearly every song in this film was written for other movies. Only one song, "Moses Supposes" was actually written for this film. In the late 1920s and 30s MGM launched a musical series called "The Broadway Melody". The first one was made in 1929, it was the second Best Picture Oscar winner and the first musical to win the award. It was followed by films made in 1936, '38, '40 and '44. It was for these movies the songs heard in "Singin' in the Rain" were written for, including even the title song, which debuted in the "Hollywood Revue of 1929" and introduced by Cliff Edwards (AKA "Ukelele Ike"), better known to the world as the voice of Jiminy Cricket.
And that's what makes this film so special to me. When I hear the songs being sung my mind races back to the original films. The music here is just as much a star as the actors. Do you really think you would enjoy this film if Kelly did the Africa war dance for Reynolds instead of singing "You Were Meant for Me" (introduced by Charles King in "The Broadway Melody of 1929"). It is the song that makes the scene.
The stand out numbers are of course Gene Kelly singing and dancing in the rain to the title song, O' Connor's "Make 'em Laugh" and Reynold's performing "All I Do Is Dream Of You". In fact I don't think Reynolds has ever been cuter though "The Tender Trap" may come close.
All the times I watch this film there is one sequence I wish they would have left out, and it is probably a favorite of many. I don't like the Broadway Melody sequence. It just comes out of nowhere near the end of the film and I feel slows everything down. It brings the movie to a halt. Though this sequence is probably the most direct homage to earlier musicals.
The film was co-directed by Stanley Donen and Kelly and written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who also were a song writing team, writing numbers such as "Just in Time", "The Party's Over" and "Make Someone Happy". It received two Oscar nominations, both of which it won, but did not get a "best picture" nomination or "best director". In the Academy's wisdom, Cecil B. DeMille's "The Greatest Show On Earth" won that year. Now I have nothing against that film, but, if you were given the chance to watch one of those films tonight, seriously, how many would chose "The Greatest Show On Earth"? The other major award the film was nominated for best supporting actress, Jean Hagen. It was a well deserved Nomination and too bad she didn't win. She is delightful to watch. I wonder if Leslie Ann Warren mimicked her for her role in "Victor/Victoria"?
"Singin' in the Rain" represents the kind of film I love more than anything. It is classic Hollywood film making at its best. It is pure entertainment and one of the masterpieces of cinema.
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