Singin' In the Rain (1952) - First Reaction - EJE

Greetings my fellow meme-consumers, I have just seen Singin’ in the Rain (1952), a musical directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly, and Donald O’Connor. This film is considered to be one of if not the defining Hollywood studio musical, and it’s not hard to see why after having seen the film myself. Placing this film in the 1920s is the only time period where this film could make sense as it deconstructs the creation of the conventional musicals of that time. The premiere of the film where our main characters are introduced pokes fun at the hollow nature of Hollywood and its films while the rest of the film shows what the causes of this hollowness are. In doing so however, the film also embraces all of these tropes but with a self-awareness and a genuine sincerity in them that increases pleasure rather than depleting it. This film’s enjoyment is seeing it build up the exact thing it knocks down simultaneously. Our three main leads oose charisma and charm and are playing directly to the crowd, which makes sense with their characters being entertainers in the film. While Gene Kelly is the star of this film, both Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor have their own scenes where they say “look at me” without it coming off desperate but instead completely earned. Having watched this in a film class, I know some context in this film that was told to me by our instructor which shaped my opinion of the film before and after. This film was essentially constructed around exploiting the back catalogue of MGM Studios songbook. These were all classic songs well known to audiences for years. The plot was after the fact and pieced together these songs, and knowing this before the film, it became very apparent, though hardly ever unwelcome. The film even pokes fun at this very idea to an extent when a decision is made by our main characters to turn a film into a musical, piecing the songs around the action, an inverse to the film we are seeing. Another thing I knew after the film was over is that both Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor suffered during the production of this film. Debbie Reynolds said of the experience “Making Singin' in the Rain and childbirth were the two hardest things I've ever done.” Not having ever danced before the film, Reynolds was taught by Kelly and Fred Astaire to dance and in the “Good Morning” sequence a blood vessel burst in Reynolds’ foot, causing her to pass out. Donald O’Connor performs an extended solo performance of “Make ‘Em Laugh,” which caused him to be bed-ridden for three days after until the crew realized the camera was out of focus and the whole scene was reshot, putting O’Connor back in bed for three more days. Yet the film seems so effortless and fun when you are watching it that you almost wish to forget all of that and just enjoy the film. The cinematography utilizes very rich colors and a very active and lively camera that bring every scene alive with so much energy. The only negative is that I am not someone who derives much pleasure from watching people tapdance for extended periods of time, which makes up a significant portion of the film, taking away much of my enjoyment through no fault of the film really. There is a “dream sequence” as I will refer to it which illustrates my feelings toward the extended sequences. It is an incredibly long scene of almost exclusively dancing in different studio settings. Once we return to reality, so much time had passed I had forgotten what scene we were in. A great film but one that is not always for me in this way. A film that acts in a similar manner is La La Land (2016), a film which I enjoy much more for its greater ambition and storytelling, with much less Hollywood cheese appearing in that film, replaced with genuine wonder at times. All in all I feel a very strong B with this film, and would highly recommend it to everyone, especially if you enjoy dancing in film.