Singing in the Rain

Originally written March 2, 2015


Singing in the Rain is a classic among the Musical Theater crowd I hang around with. Well, it’s also a classic for most people who love movies, or have parents who happen to casually like musicals. It’s on the American Film Institute’s “Best 100 American Films” list, so I guess that means it’s just a classic in general. It tells the story of Don Lockwood, a famous movie star in the late 1920’s, who has to balance his relationship with his best friend Cosmo, his new girlfriend Kathy, and his frequent co-star Lina Lamont (who is portrayed as his lover in the media), all while trying to navigate the transition from silent films to talkies.

Don Lockwood is played by the lovely Gene Kelly, who also directed and choreographed the film. He masterfully portrays the rude, egotistical performer that Don is at the beginning of the film, but believably transitions to the honest, kind man that he ends up becoming. One of the things that makes this film so lasting is his performance.

Gene Kelly’s dancing in particular is really something special. In the title number of the film, Don Lockwood tap dances through the rain, celebrating the fact that he has fallen in love. Kelly’s technical prowess as a dancer is extraordinary. All of his steps are perfect from a dance class perspective, but it’s really the emotion that he puts into the number that makes his performance stand out. It is the perfect musical theater number in many ways, perfectly combining the three disciplines- singing, dancing, and acting- exquisitely. At the time of filming, Gene Kelly was super sick; he had a 103 degree fever! This just goes to solidify his place as a wonderful performer, persevering through illness, and totally pulling it off.

One of the reasons that this film is so loved by film buffs is that it’s a good film about the film industry. It discusses the difficulties that filmmakers, studios, and actors all had when transitioning from the era of silent films into a time where “talkies” were where it was at. In the film, the first time that the characters see a talking picture they all think that it is just a some kind of gimmick, and it’s a phase that will pass. When the feature length film The Jazz Singer comes out in 1927, everyone knows that this new technology is becoming an integral part of the film industry, and that they have to keep up with the times or be left behind.

They choose to carry on and make films with sound even though they face some struggles, such as Lina Lamont, the most beloved silent film actor, having a shrill, obnoxious voice that could never belong to an ingenue actress. Their solution is to dub all of her lines with the voice to Don’s IRL girlfriend, Kathy.  This, of course, causes an a lot of drama that is ultimately sorted through in the end. It makes me grateful to live in a time where there are so many people portrayed on film, and there are so many roles, so people of any type can act on screen.

I think that this movie deserves it’s place on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 Best American Films. It tells a lovely story with wonderful actors and incredible song and dance numbers. It educates about a very important part of film history. This film is just generally good. I will forever recommend it to anyone who loves a good musical.