The newest challenge that I present is watching this film and attempting to find a single moment that doesn't present unbridled joy. If anyone can do it, that means they are a liar. Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen's Singin' in the Rain is an utterly cheerful and glorious look at Hollywood during the times of the transition between silent film and talkies. This romantic-comedy-musical is one of the greatest looks at Hollywood ever made and also proves to be one of the greatest musicals ever made. There is so much to simply adore about this film and upon my first watch, I can definitely tell why it is hailed as one of the most uplifting and optimistic films ever made. I was genuinely in awe at how humorous and heartwarming this entire film was and there are so many elements that go into making it the perfect story. From the wondrous numbers to the adorable performances to the stupendous direction, this film is a complete delight and one that I will absolutely find myself rewatching.
Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) are two movie stars achieving their highest goals of fame on the eve of the innovation of sound in film. As they struggle to overcome this audio barrier, Lockwood meets and falls in love with an aspiring actress named Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), who provides them with a way to continue making the great films that their fans love and expect. It seems all of the greatest movie musicals just so happen to be about Hollywood and the art of filmmaking. I am not one to complain because we, as audiences, get some of the most emotional and impactful storytelling through not just the scripts, but the melodies of the music and their lyrics. Singin' in the Rain is the prime example of this and its cheery tone is inescapable. The music throughout this film is definitely its most memorable aspect and for good reason. I had never seen this film before now but I knew every single song that originated from this story. This movie's impact is immeasurable in the world of musicals and I could not help but feel so overjoyed just by watching this cast perform the catchy numbers. It is so obvious how much fun Kelly, Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor, who plays Lockwood's best friend, had with this film. They are all such talented artists and both their performances and musical abilities are just astounding. Kelly and O'Connor both embody their comedic personas incredibly well but I think that Reynolds was the definite standout, as her adorable character of Kathy drove this story. The choreography and staging throughout this movie were also sublime and made way for such entrancing tap-dancing and slapstick throughout its most entertaining sequences.
Along with how marvelously fun and grand this entire film is, the script by Betty Comden and Adolph Green is fantastic. They not only know the ins and outs of Hollywood and its filmmaking, but they are able to make fun of it as well. Singin' in the Rain is surprisingly self-aware, as can be seen in one of the main plot points of the film: the innovation of sound. It was not only humorous to see how these writers represented reluctant filmmakers from including audio, as they considered it horrible, but they used this theme throughout the film as well. It was very modern of them to discuss this new innovation only a little more than twenty years after its conception and I loved how it also characterized the people as well. Revealing that Lamont had a terrible voice and replacing it with the voice of Kathy was such an adorable plot to follow and I was not expecting at all for it to make out Lamont to be the antagonist. The music and dialogue that surrounded the numbers were all incredibly humorous and I thought it was such a clever choice to include flashback scenes and dream sequences. It is very hard to pull off convincing dream sequences, even nowadays, without making them appear corny but I thought that the musical setting of this film helped with that greatly. The cinematography from Harold Rosson was spectacular and added that extra bit of flair that was definitely needed for this type of story. So many of his choices with the camera were very extravagant with lots of movement and purpose instilled into it and there were a lot of techniques used that I was genuinely shocked they could pull off even in 1952.
Singin' in the Rain is a perfectly-made musical that everyone could use to spark a little joy in their lives. This film is an exceptional time capsule into Hollywood in the early 1950s and its self-awareness makes it that much better. The legacy of this movie continues today and while many could critique this movie for how unbelievably positive and happy-go-lucky it can be, there is no greater joy than seeing these three leads sing and dance their way into film history.
My Rating: ★★★★★
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