**** = Perfection *** = Good, not great ** = Not good, not bad - merely acceptable * = Not acceptable but not unbearable, merely very bad ZERO = Horrid - avoid at all costs 1/2 = Icing on the cake
For me, there are certain moments that define what the movies are about. Apu finding his son in Satyajit Ray's The World Of Apu. The two wedding scenes in The Godfather. The discovery of Mother in Psycho and the final scene in Vertigo. The airport scene in Casablanca. The scene in which Charlie Chaplin is sent to jail in Modern Times. The Cary Grant impersonation from Some Like It Hot. The burning of Rosebud in Citizen Kane. The Dagobah scenes in The Empire Strikes Back. The waterfall jump in The Fugitive. The Poignant ending of The Wizard Of Oz. The final shot in Jaws. Singing In The Rain in Singin' In The Rain.
For me Singin' In The Rain is everything a movie should be: funny, satisfying, well-acted, great music ( lots of it ), real characters, very real predicaments, and a ( more than ) satisfying conclusion. It's hard to imagine a better film. I recently read a review of the film that neatly sums up my feelings for it: "No matter how many times you see it you'll want to see it a thousand times more". The film is a work of art. There is no pleasure as reliable as watching Donald O'Connor performing 'Make 'Em Laugh'.
My favorite part of the film is the premeire of The Dueling Cavilier. It's a laugthable movie , the voices go out of sync at the screening and nothing could be worse. The audience is constantly laugthing at the screen. As the audience members file out, depressed, one man says loudly "That was the worst picture ever made". "I liked it" replies the star, Lina Lamont, happily.
Of course there is the scene in which we are treated to, perhaps the film's best number, Good Morning. That is the movie's most optimistic scene. Debbie Reynolds sings. Gene Kelley sings. Donald O' Connor sings. The scene sings.
The last shot is similar to the last shots of The Wizard Of Oz and Alice In Wonderland; at least it preaches the same message ( I've always felt that those scenes are a tad arrogant; spend 2 hours convincing a kid it's real, and then take it back ). In this case it's a terrific conclusion. The film is a masterpiece, and it's comforting to think that this strip of celluloid that will never be forgotten.
Spending two hours with these characters is a bliss-out. You leave content and happy, knowing you have seen not only the best musical ever, but one of the best movies ever.
[A Note: Do yourself a favor and rent the 50th anniversery edition. Don't turn it off when the film is done; it is followed by some great interviews.]
Rating: ****
Visit Max And Micah's movie page at http://www.garfieldlib.com/yanews/july97/max/max.html
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