Hollywood’s changeover from silents to talkies is the backdrop
for MGM’s most perfect musical, a vehicle for Gene Kelly,
Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor, who gotta sing, gotta
dance. When production is halted to switch the newest Don
Lockwood (Kelly)/Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) feature from a silent to a talkie, the filmmakers
are stymied not only by the rigors of sound recording, but also
by Lamont's nails-on-a-chalkboard speaking voice. "You Were
Meant for Me" is the romantic highlight, sung by Don to
Kathy (Reynolds) on a nearly empty yet gorgeous soundstage, all colors
and wind. The romance is the love story between Don and Kathy, but it's also the act of filmmaking, which the two
collaborate on (and consummate). All but two of the songs in
the movie were written for movies in the early sound years, and
in this way the film is a self-conscious history of the MGM
musical. Shot on the cusp of the widescreen era, when movies
evolved from one sort of entertainment into another, Singin'
in the Rain is a celebration of the grand tradition of
filmmaking that was canny enough to know it was also the
bell-ringer at the end of an era.
Navel-Gazers: 10 Movies
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Reviews by Bryant Frazer bryant@deep-focus.com
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