A few weeks back, when I wrote about "The Band Wagon" on this list, I admittedly could have flipped the rank of that movie and this one. Indeed, they are both that good and, in a lot of respects, the same movie. Both came out very close to each other in 1952 and 1953 from the Arthur Freed MGM factory. They're both the best film musicals that MGM ever did, and that's a formidible statement when you consider the list of great movies they produced.
But, there are two main reasons why I rank "Singin' In The Rain" a little higher. First off, you need not go any further than the title number. Has there been any other moment in film history that has been shown more than Gene Kelly sloshing around in the gutter of the backlot? And, when this clip starts, is there anybody out there that turns it off before the end? Unlike any other scene in the history of film, you never ever get tired of watching Gene Kelly dance with his umbrella. This is cinematic magic at its most amazing. I have seen this film a quite a few times in a theater with a live audience. And this scene elicits rousing applause every single time. But, then again, so does every number in the movie. Watch the "Moses Supposes" number.
What get lost, however, in the midst of several other dynamite numbers from Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and young Debbie Reynolds is the sterling and Oscar-nominated performance of Jean Hagen as the ditzy diva, Lina Lamont. If Hagen 
does this role in any other movie, she would steal the picture. And she does come damn close to completing the heist. But, frankly, nobody steals anything from Gene Kelly. Nevertheless, "Singin' In The Rain" is a musical comedy, primarily because Hagen singlehandedly provides the comedy as the silent movie actress who can't make the jump to talkies because she sounds like a duck with her web feet stuck in a Cuisinart. She is absolutely irresistible. You need to see this movie one time and simply focus on her performance. The irony about her role in the film is that Reynolds' character dubs the singing for Lina. But, you will note that, for several songs, Reynolds herself is dubbed.
"Singin' In The Rain" was voted as #5 on the AFI List of 100 Best Movies, and I believe it came in at #1 on the AFI list for Best Musicals. And, as much as I have seen it, I could watch it tonight on Turner Classic Movies or my DVD and still be as entertained as I was when I first saw it as a kid. There are very, very few movies you can say that about. Fifty years from now, nobody's going to be watching "Happy Gilmore."
Dinner last night: Milan pizza at CPK.
1 comment:
I have to put in a plug for Donald O'Connor, the perfect sidekick and a sharp scene stealer. He's every bit Kelly's equal in their dance numbers, and his comedy chops are tops. This is one of the best films ever made under the studio system. a triumph for Hollywood.
Post a Comment