Musicals Week: Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Singin’ in the Rain

Call No: PN1997 .S523 1997

Musicals week just wouldn’t be fitting without reviewing Singin’ in the Rain, the film many consider to be not only the greatest musical of all time, but one of the best films ever made. The film captured the hearts of many with its incredible music, entertaining characters and simplistic storyline. I have to admit that the first time I watched it, I had no idea what I was in for. I knew nothing about it and had no idea what the premise was. It wasn’t long before I was swept up in the magic of the film.

Here’s the story: It’s the golden age of silent film, and Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lena Lamont (Jean Hagen) are stars of their studio, Monumental Pictures. Don is on top of the world with his best friend Cosmo (Donald O’Connor) and newfound love Kathy (Debbie Reynolds) by his side. Unfortunately, talking pictures are becoming popular. Unless the studio and the duo can come up with a successful talking picture, their careers are finished. There’s just one problem: Lena, though beautiful, doesn’t exactly have the voice to match.

One of the things that makes this film an incredible treat is the amount of acting talent. Gene Kelly is superb in the role that was practically written for him. It was well known that Kelly was rarely satisfied with simply being a dancer. He was often a choreographer, and became a co-director on the film with Stanley Donen, who had a high level of respect and admiration for his work. Kelly was a perfectionist, something you can easily tell from watching the dance sequences, especially the musical number “Good Morning”. Everyone is in sequence and all of the steps are perfectly matched, something that isn’t always easily achieved.

While Kelly is often credited as being one of the greatest film entertainers of all time, something should be said for the talent of his co-stars. It is not easy to keep up with a force of natural talent like Gene Kelly, but both Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds hold their own. Donald O’Connor is a treat to watch, providing the majority of the humour and comic relief, especially during the famous number “Make ‘em Laugh”. He does more than hold his own with Gene Kelly in “Moses Supposes”, one of the best and most effortless dance numbers I have ever seen. Debbie Reynolds delivers a perfect performance as the sweet and enthusiastic Kathy Seldon. It is said that Kelly’s perfectionist streak when choreographing caused him to lose his patience with his co-stars on a number of occasions, and Reynolds was no exception. But something has to be said for the performance that he managed to get out of her. She keeps up with the two dancing greats with little to no effort.

O'Connor, Reynolds, and Kelly are exhausted after a rigorous dance number.

The musical numbers aren’t as frequent in this film as they are in other musicals, and almost all of them feel natural in their transition from scene to song. There’s a timelessness that comes with the music of the film. The title song “Singin’ in the Rain” is just as famous as the film itself. Singer Sting has helped to keep the music alive with his cover of “You Were Meant for Me”. The only part of the film that might lose some of the audience’s interest comes from the number, “Broadway Melody”. As a trained classical dancer, Kelly often enters a scene in which there is little to no talking and lets the dancing (usually ballet) speak for itself. The twelve minute “Broadway Melody” is an example of this. Kelly did the same in An American in Paris with a series of ballet numbers towards the end of the film. It’s beautiful and entertaining in its own way, but some might find it out of place.

If you enjoy musicals and you haven’t seen the film, you’re in for a real treat. If you’re not a fan of musicals, this is the only musical you will ever need to watch. Everything that the perfect musical embodies, the music, the characters, the dancing, the story, is all in this film.