Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Artwork for Blu-ray Release

It might seem overhyped and overblown, but this film is a fit classic of American cinema, and based on my daughter's intrinsic and immediate adoration of it on first viewing, there's also something of a primordial siren call that attracts even the most precocious of four year-olds.

To anyone who hasn't seen this film yet, the comparisons against The Artist (2011) are inevitable.  But although they share in similar gags and story arcs, this film is ever so perfect and beautiful and enticing to watch over and over again.  The same can't really be said of The Artist (2011), which although, a good and enjoyable film, its gimmicks quickly become tedious and forgetful.

Part of the charm of Singin' in the Rain (1952) might be the striking use of Technicolor, or the way significant bits of Gene Kelly's joi-de-vivre are left stamped throughout this film; and as the writer, director and choreographer, it's amazing how much of this man might just be in this film.  Leaving one to wonder just how much of it is Gene Kelly trying to make art out of an early musical (some would argue just entertainment, I would argue a mix of both), drawing a parallel between Lockwood's (Gene Kelly's character) struggle and Kelly's own.
 
In our minds, there are these films that are so full of chunks of our emotions, films that hold a special place in our cannon that we perceive as perfect, but they are, alas, not immune to the slight shake on a zoom or track or pan.  But this doesn't bother me which makes me a bit of a hypocrite for chastising modern films for their flaws.  But this film is just sheer joy, and much like an oft faulted paramour, one can forgive a hiccup or two.

Some of those hiccups are infamous, like the fact the the original negative was lost in a fire, and the only remaining version of the film has a very noticeable couple of frames missing from an otherwise pristine and beautiful long take.

An upcut and a serendipitous event aside, the film is beautiful and maintains an ecstatic pace throughout, even if during the abstract NYC ballet scene at the end of the film, you start to wonder how long it has been.  But ultimately, it just won't matter, you'll be encased in the narrative and metaphors to even care.

One of the most striking and revelatory things about this film is that it manages to be fun and full of energy, through the near exclusive use of long takes, which is hard to understand with today's fast cut, shaky cam cinema style.

Production Still for Film

For the cinema buff, there are also alot of palpable homages to early film including a chase sequence of sorts where Gene Kelly, running away from adoring fans, jumps from moving car to trolley to car and so on with no safety harness or equipment. Thanks to OSHA and safety regulations and sheer safety concerns, they would not let anyone, not even a certified loony stuntman, do these stunts now-a-days, least of all the main actor and director, which tinges the film with hints of silent film auteurs like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.

The script is really funny and complements the acting, and apparent personalities of the actors, beautifully, whether situational, dialogue based, or even physical, the script comes across and not only natural, but perfectly fit for it's purpose.

The camera work that supplements all that is phenomenal, almost like another dancer stretching its gams for the audience.  Swooping around choreographed dancers, supplanting the fourth wall, and knocking it down when needed.

The voices from all the players, whether actual or dubbed by others, are pitch-perfect and so pleasant to listen to. The namesake song, an otherwise generic song about soggy exaltation's of amorous underpinnings and its male permutation is still great and fresh, even after all these decades of cultural references and parodies, and the same can be said about "Good Morning" which my daughter already sings without realizing it.

Gene Kelly's sidekick, Donald O'Connor, is great and oh so funny, showcasing his great comedic timing, specially in "Make Them Laugh."

Artwork for Film

Even the ending is great, even if a week later, and after having watched the movie a dozen times in two years, I can't remember it clearly enough to describe it in more than one line.  All I'm left with is just an image of some of the characters in front of a billboard, which at the time of the viewing, led me to write "very 'meta' ending...a movie within a movie, that ends with the creation of said real movie, same title and all."

I wonder what I meant.

Either way, either catch a theater showing or buy this film on Blu-ray the Technicolor treatment alone is worth it.  You might have fooled yourself, but this movie is going nowhere specially having survived a fire that would have made an optimist out of any negative.  The Technicolor looks phenomenal on Blu-ray