"A Shimmering, Glowing Star in the Cinema Firmament."

On the surface, Singin’ In The Rain may seem like it could be incredibly cheesy. The fact that it’s a 1950’s musical alone could put some people off immediately. But this film is without a doubt a classic. There is something to be said about a film that is still so hilarious and relevant even after half a century. The film’s hilarious satire is only matched by its entertaining story and impressive performances.
I’ve seen this film three or four times now and it keeps getting better each time I watch it. I really feel like Singin’ In The Rain is one of those movies that grows on you even though it is so wonderful the first time you experience it. The first thing that struck me while watching this film again was the amazing performances. Yes, this is probably the thing people notice the first time watching, but I still couldn’t believe how amazing the actors and actresses were. Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor were so impressive. I can’t imagine people moving like that in contemporary films (this is probably the reason why so few films like this are made nowadays). But even more than that, I thought that their acting was superb. One person that I felt did an amazing job, and who many people cited as being their least favorite, was Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont. I would assume that she was putting on that voice which in itself is impressive. But not only that, Hagen made the character’s stupidity believable, putting aside her ego for the sake of the film. I thought she was strangely lovable. Her naïve attitude and her skewed sense of reality, made her seem innocent even though she was portrayed as the villain.

I will always maintain that the scene in which Gene Kelly sings in the rain is my favorite scene of the film. There’s something so lovable and deeply personal (at least for me) about this moment. I don’t know. I guess it just makes me happy. I’m all for movies not being corny and I often enjoy seeing films that portray the more “realistic” and often pessimistic aspects of life. But sometimes I just want a film that I can fall in love with because it makes me happy to be alive. And that, for me, is what that moment is all about.
One of the most interesting aspects of the film, and what creates a deeper meaning to the story, is the satirical undertones. The film frequently makes fun of the films of the 1920’s and 30’s and often points out the ridiculousness of the star system. I loved the fact that the film poked fun at Hollywood and the way we worship celebrities. The star system is never more clearly satirized then in the beginning of the film when Lina and Don address the fans outside the theatre. The obsessed crowd’s actions are completely ridiculous. One woman even faints after Don blows her a kiss. Don and Lina really echoed modern day star couples and reminded me so much of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
But this idea that Singin’ In The Rain addresses the reality and the artificialness of films is what really intrigues me. When we talked in class about the film “never breaking the fourth wall” by revealing a crew filming the movie itself, I couldn’t help but wonder why. And the reason I’ve come up with is that no matter what Singin’ In The Rain is still a movie and although it satirizes the film industry and the way movies are produced it will always remain a product of that system. I couldn’t help but think that no matter how close the film gets to addressing the artificialness of filmmaking and in some ways becoming more “real” than other pictures, it will always be an artificial piece that could never be fully realized by the audience. No film (not even documentaries) can break that wall because audiences can never fully realize what goes into making a movie. By simply watching the film we would never know that there was milk put into the rain. We would never know that Gene Kelly was sick during his performance. And we would never know that Jean Hagen actually had quite a good voice and sometimes even dubbed over Debbie Reynolds singing.


It’s quite easy to see why Singin’ In the Rain has come to be known as a classic. Great acting, interesting story, impressive dancing and singing, and spot on cinematography are some of the many reasons why I have grown to love this film. It will always be one of my favorites and I’m sure the more I watch it, the more I will grow to love both the story and the unforgettable performances.