Singin' in the Rain (1952)

 

Please click the link to read my review of A Clockwork Orange - another film that utilized Gene Kelly’s recording of “Singin’ in the Rain” (and from what I gather, Kelly was seriously pissed off about it) 

Synopsis: Light-hearted look at the late-1920s transition between silent pictures and talkies is repeatedly interrupted by song-and-dance numbers that distract from the narrative. 

Blurb From the VHS jacket: “It remains one of the finest and most beloved musicals ever to come out of Hollywood” 

What Did I Learn?: 1) If we bring a little joy into our humdrum lives, it makes us feel as though our hard work ain’t been in vain for nothin’. 2) Short people have long faces, and long people have short faces. Big people have little humour, and little people have no humour at all. 3) Dignity. Always dignity. 4) You have to show a movie at a party. It’s a Hollywood law. 5) The show must go on. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You're a sucker for songs about rain. 

Really?: That whole Broadway Melody sequence features a lot of great singing and dancing, but it doesn’t really fit the rest of the movie.

Rating: I’m not a huge fan of musicals, but you have to love Singin’ in the Rain, mostly because it’s funny, it examines an interesting period of the film industry (see: “Synopsis”), but it never takes itself too seriously, and it features some incredible singing and dancing numbers including Gene Kelly doing the title song and Donald O’Connor’s “Make ‘Em Laugh” that must be seen to be believed. My only complaint would be that the picture drags a little in the middle and the Broadway Melody clip could have been cut. Highly recommended. 9/10 stars. 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045152/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0