'3BlackChicks Review...'
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952) Rated G; running time 103 minutes Genre: Musical IMDB site: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0045152 Written by:Betty Comden, Adolph Green Directed by: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly Music by: Nacio Herb Brown, Lennie Hayton Choreography by: Gene Kelly Cast: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Cyd Charisse, Rita Moreno DVD standard features (region 1): "Pan And Scan" (non-widescreen); theatrical trailer; scene access. Languages & Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2001 Review URL: http://www.3blackchicks.com/bamssinginrain.html
On the back cover of the DVD box for SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, movie critic Roger Ebert is quoted as calling the movie "The greatest Hollywood musical ever made!".
I can diggit, Rog, but from my seat, it comes in a close second.
The Story (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**): The 1920s were a time of Flappers, and "The Charleston" - and silent movies. And Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and his leading lady, Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), were huge silent movie stars. Don, at first a struggling musician along with his buddy Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor), enjoyed the benefits of stardom - even when his adoring fans got to be a bit too much for him, and when Lina foolishly believed the media hype that she and Don had a lil' sum'n sum'n goin' on. Luckily for him, he met and fell for Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), a feisty chorus girl with big dreams of the New York stage.
The 20s were also a time of tremendous upheaval: for the movies, it was a time when "Talkies" came along to change the world. Producer R.F. Simpson (Millard Mitchell) initially played off the importance of the newfangled technology, thinking it was just a passing fad. Soon, though, the brass at Monumental Pictures realized that they'd best jump on the bandwagon, and remake their latest flick, "The Dueling Cavalier", into a musical Talkie of their own.
Only one problem: contrary to her beliefs, Lina can't sing, can't dance, and when she talks, her voice could curdle milk.
The Upshot: Yes, I *know* Everyone Loves Singin'. Yes, I *know* it sits high on the American Film Institute's ranking of Rilly Good Flicks. And yes, I most def have lots of respect and admiration for the makers of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN; my Torrid Love for Gene Kelly (first developed in the vivid imagination of my youth, while watching Kelly musicals before Sunday School) is a torch I carry to this day. But I still call this one second-best, for two nitpicky, but irritating, reasons: the relative weakness of Debbie Reynolds as Kelly's paramour - as my girl Lina might've said, "I kaaaan't staaan' 'er!" - and the lack of much to do for Kelly's sidekick, Donald O'Connor.
Believe me when I say that those two flaws hardly marred the excellent work that is "Rain". My minor dislike for Reynolds, and her Kathy Selden character, is more a personal Issue than a real show-stopping disdain. Except for Kathy's original spunk when first confronted with movie star Don Lockwood, there just didn't seem to be much there worthy of Don's pursuit; frankly, I wouldn't have given her a second thought. Of course, my Strong Chick perspective comes some almost 50 years after this movie was released, so take my attitude with a grain of salt. However, my problem with Cosmo Brown, stands. I liked his spotlight in the "Make 'Em Laugh" number, but even then, that character reminded me too much of a milder version of Jim Carrey. In fairness, though, that may be because I've had too much exposure to Carrey's antics; well before Carrey showed on the scene, I used to think that Cosmo was Danny Kaye's little brother. And I love me some Danny Kaye. Hmmm...is there an antidote for overexposure to Ham?
I have nothing but praise for the rest, though. Gene Kelly, of course, can Do No Wrong by me [well, he didn't have the best singing voice, but oh, that body. Uh.]; here, as usual, he danced divinely, and though his acting wouldn't be mistaken as Shakepearean, he had a charm that more than made up for any thespian shortcomings he might've had. Jean Hagen was ghettofabulous as the skreetchy, but fun, Lina Lamont - a true diva if ever I saw one. In checking Hagen's IMDB listing, I see there are a few movies of hers that I need to check out. She didn't seem to get the wide attention she deserved, after "Rain"; that's just not right. Also excellent in supporting roles were Millard Mitchell as the marvelously henpecked R. F. Simpson ("I was confused!") and Cyd "Legs" Charisse as the femme fatale dancer who spoke volumes without saying a word. And in only her fourth feature film, living legend (and deserving of a Latina Factor all her own) Rita Moreno's bit part as Lina's bud Zelda is a small taste of what was to come for her (can you tell I'm excited about having just bought WEST SIDE STORY on DVD?)
What was that that "Andy Hardy" would always say? "Hey kids, let's put on a show!"
The Numbers: The heart of any musical, especially one made during the 40s and 50s, is its musical numbers [duh!]. And SINGIN' IN THE RAIN is chock full 'o good ones:
"Make 'Em Laugh" Donald O'Connor's showcase; funny, and his run-up-the-wall bit, made my jaw drop the first time I saw it.
"You Were Meant For Me" Ok, so it's your standard mushy Boy Meets Girl number which sweetly clues the audience in that yes, Don is falling for Kathy [though *why*, I'll never know]. And oh, that voice. But oh, that bod! Uh.
"Moses Supposes" As far as partners go, I liked Kelly and Frank Sinatra in ANCHOR'S AWEIGH better, but this number has its own charms; and, thanks to the DVD, I finally caught that quick "eeneymeenymineyMoses" riff Kelly does under the curtain, ha! And call me Easy, but every time they do that "A" at the end, I cheer. Hey, it's a Thing.
"I can't make love to a bush!" Ok, so it's not really a number - it's one of Lina's many great lines. Just had to give my girl a shoutout.
"Good Morning To You" Nothing very special about this number, which has one of the weakest segues in the whole movie ["it's not March 23rd, it's the 24th; good morning!" ugh]. But I reckon I liked it well enough: I kept "rewinding" the DVD back to that track - which actually segues very well into...
"Singin' In The Rain" Anything I say about this magnificent, classic number, will be woefully insufficient. Suffice it to say that that's one lucky umbrella. And the struttin' fella ain't half bad.
"Broadway Melody" Clocked in at 14 minutes, this number is the great capper "Rain" deserves. A story-within-the-story, I can't decide what I liked most about this number: Kelly of course, the very leggy Cyd Charisse, or the coin-flipping mobsters [man, did I think they were Coolness Personified when I was 8!]. Ah, who'm I kiddin'; I liked it all. As my Brit friends would say, bloody brilliant!
Betty Comden and Adolph Green's screenplay may have been the backbone of "Rain", but Nacio Herb Brown and Lennie Hayton's music, and Gene Kelly's fantastic choreography, were its heart and soul.
DVD Thingies: As with the A CHRISTMAS STORY DVD, the "Rain" disc (understandably) offered little by way of DVD goodies. The lack of widescreen option was disappointing, of course; and the differentiation between "closed captioning" and "subtitles", without any indication of what the differences were, was needlessly confusing. But as I said about A CHRISTMAS STORY, I'd watch this movie against a brick wall if I had to, it's *that* good.
Bammer's Bottom Line: I've watched SINGIN' IN THE RAIN in bits n' pieces on TV over the years, but seeing it on DVD was the first time I've ever watched it all the way through. I'm glad, because I couldn't appreciate the depth of the story when I first watched it as a kid, the way I do now. "Depth? In a *musical*?", you ask? Yep, depth. Beneath the fluffy love story and the Any Excuse To Sing And Dance of your standard movie musical, lies lessons on (mis)perceptions and adaptability to change. Weird, how I hadn't noticed that before.
Or, maybe it's not even all that Deep. Maybe it *is* just Any Excuse To Sing And Dance. Hey, in a world increasingly hostile, cynical, and full of pain, maybe we *need* to Sing And Dance every once in awhile. I can diggit.
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (rating: greenlight): What I wouldn't give to have been that umbrella.
Rose "Bams" Cooper Webchick and Editor, 3BlackChicks Review Entertainment Reviews With Flava! Copyright Rose Cooper, 2001 EMAIL: bams@3blackchicks.com http://www.3blackchicks.com/
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