Film and American Culture Series: "Singin' in the Rain" Review

   

     This week I am reviewing Singin' in the Rain directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. It was produced by Arthur Freed and was released April 11, 1952. The cinematography was done by Harold Rosson. The musical score was written by Lennie Hayton and the songs in the film written by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed. Donald O'Connor received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy).

     Singin’ in the Rain follows the character Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) who is a popular silent film star as the world transitions from silent films into talking pictures. His co-star Lina (Jean Hagen) is seen in the public eye as his love interest when in reality he does not care for in any way. She also becomes a complication in the transitional process with her voice not being pleasing in the new films. Don meets Kathy (Debbie Reynolds) as he is trying to escape fans and jumps into her car. She drives him from the crowd and drops him off after they have a conversation where she snubs the fact he is a silent film star and claims that being a real stage actor or actress, like her, is more dignified. Eventually Don runs into her at a party where she performs as a chorus girl and teases her for such a vocation. Kathy upset at the teasing tries to throw a piece of cake at Don but misses and hits Lina instead. Lina in turn arranges for Kathy to get fired. Don runs into Kathy again at the studios where she got another job and confesses to him she was indeed a fan all along. When a rival studio releases the first talking picture, The Jazz Singer, their studio decides it is time to make the switch themselves. This causes a problem with Lina not having an adequate voice or acting skills for the switch. Don, Kathy, and their friend Cosmo come up with a plan to turn their flopped movie into a musical and using Kathy's voice over Lina's. The film becomes a hit and Lina threatens to quit unless the studio puts Kathy under contract to always voice her and keep it confidential. The end of the movie is Don finding a way to expose Lina and show it was Kathy all along whose voice was the one audiences were falling in love with.

Does this film have specific meaning to the time it was released? Or does it have a universal them we can apply to today? I believe this has a very common theme. Someone who in the eyes of others had it all, fame, fortune, opportunity, and yet they were not content because they lacked a type of respect and love they desired. This is the story of someone who found a deeper meaning to living life and what is truly important. You see this with Don pursuing and falling in love with Kathy. It also is a story of standing up for what you believe in even if it could have consequences. For example at the end when Don was fighting for Kathy to have the credit she deserves even if it meant him sacrificing his own career.

     I can see why this film is considered a classic. It embodies the American spirit of perpetual hopefulness and preserves a style seen as a nostalgia to generations even today. I greatly enjoyed watching this film and was transported back to these character's time. The music was very catchy and it was rewarding to finally see the classic Singin' in the Rain in context of it's own film.