The film Singin’ in the Rain was released in 1952 under the co-direction on Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly. The movie has remained to be distinguished since its release from the era of Classical Hollywood musicals that were widely considered to be frivolous. The film demonstrates a rare integration of the musical and narrative elements, which are enhanced in their harmonious merger, even though it is a standard production. Regardless of the changes of the perspective from which audiences view films since the film was produced, Singin’ in the Rain still remains to be captivating given the exceptional plausibility and that the singing and dancing adds to its interesting story.
The movie is full of joy, and the musical elements are exceptionally articulated throughout the film. The romance that ensues between Kathy Selden and Don Lockwood is perfectly engaging, and the characters are delightful and vivid. The film stars Lina Lamont and Don Lockwood. Lina Lamont becomes the villain who blackmails the director to declare her the star instead of Kathy. She also plays games to ensure that she retains Don Lockwood who she believes is her lover. In spite of the drama that she causes, almost every other character in the movie displays having enormous fun that lights up the film’s joy of performance. The historical analysis of the film exhibits the intent of the directors to popularize and promote the art of dance joyously and accessibly in cinema.
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The musicals of the 1950s were the most escapist and entertaining features for the audiences given that in their screenplays love conquered all and dreams came true. The genre was also the most lighthearted in terms of plot. Singin’ in the Rain was a few years later after its release declared the finest musical film ever. However, in late March 1952, when it was released, no such claims arose. The film cost over $2.5 million to produce, and its earnings exceeded $7.6 million through the receipts of box-office. Some critics of the time said that the placement of the film in the 1920s limited the audience, but they praised its cheerfulness. Other critics praised the value of the film’s entertainment terming is as a very effective musical.
Most reviews focused on the qualities of the film’s musicals that they claimed to reflect an impressive studio effort. Other reviews declared it to be one of a kind, praised the cine-dance in the film, or discussed its music industry commentary. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards in 1953 including Best Music, and Hagen’s Best Supporting Actress. The Academy voters gave it Best Picture and other six Oscar Awards. Later analyses followed in the 1960s when it reemerged at film festivals internationally.
The film as over the years attracted the interest of more scholars and critics to re-examine the cheerfulness and spackle that it exudes. The directors of the film use cine-dance to hide the artifice of the film to engage the audiences emotionally and at the same time establish a Hollywood filmmaking commentary. The scarf dance at the Broadway Ballet’s end whereby a counterpart is compared to the song “You Were Meant for Me” exemplifies the strategy. Don sings “You Were Meant for Me” earlier in the film and exposed Kathy to the soundstage of the film in an artificial ambiance that he had created around them. The sequence of “You Was Meant for Me” suggests production equipment that is unattended to but was addressed later when the lights follow Charisse and Kelly. The audience still uniformly gets hooked in the performances.
Donen and Kelly wanted to correct the fundamental dishonesty common to films in the musicals genre through the cine-dance and themes of Singin’ in the Rain . The dishonesty arises from the gap between image and sound in the art of filmmaking. The themes of the film expose the manner in which image and sound work together to produce an outcome that would influence the response of the audiences. For instance, in the earliest scenes, Don tells a reporter about his life story whereby he claims that he led a privileged and dignified life but the flashbacks that are juxtaposed sow the contrary. The attribution of the sounds and images to their respective performers effectively created thematic anxiety in the audience of the era when the film was released. However, such effects may be limited in the contemporary society.
The contemporary audiences are aware of the Hollywood deceptions and illusions that are deliberately made in the filmmaking industry being more than 60 years later. We contemporary audience has access to information that was historically behind the scenes, is smarter, and has a better understanding of the process of making films through the platforms such as the media and the Internet which were hardly accessible in the 1950s. Still, the film is interesting in that it exposes the many tactics that are characteristic of the filmmaking industry to date.
The film gives me insights about the phoniness of Hollywood and how it extends beyond the screen to influence all the involved parties. For instance, the phoniness explains Don’s lying about his past. Additionally, Don and Lina pretend to be a couple for a big premiere on the red carpet, and yet Don does not even like Lina at all. Lina is also a silent film star, but she can’t give up being a character in their first talking picture, and yet her voice is grating. She looks for a way to use Kathy’s voice instead. Similarly, the contemporary audience would be very intrigued by the phoniness of the characters in the film. Still, the rare integration of the musical and narrative elements that make the film outstanding makes it interesting. However, given that the contemporary audience is aware of the tricks and drama of the film as opposed to the original audience, it would entertain the musical aspect of the film better than the narrative aspect.
In conclusion, Singin’ in the Rain still remains to be captivating given the exceptional plausibility and that the singing and dancing adds to its interesting story regardless of the changes of the perspective from which audiences view films since the film was produced. The historical analysis of the film exhibits the intent of the directors to popularize and promote the art of dance joyously and accessibly in cinema. The directors of the film intended to correct the fundamental dishonesty common to films in the musicals genre through the cine-dance and themes of the film. The contemporary audiences are aware of the Hollywood deceptions and illusions that are deliberately made in the filmmaking industry being more than 60 years later. As such, given that the contemporary audience is aware of the tricks that the characters use in the film, as opposed to the original audience, the musical aspect of the film would be more important to them than the narrative aspect.
