Singin' in the Rain

In 1951, Gene Kelly won an honorary Oscar and his film An American in Paris, won Best Picture in an upset. I am not crazy about that film, and in my review I mention that I'm something of a heretic when it comes to Singin' in the Rain, which is not only acclaimed as the greatest musical of all time, but is way up there on lists of great films of all time, in any genre. It is number five on AFI's list, and came in at number 20 on the recent Sight and Sound critic's poll.

I am not entirely convinced of its greatness. To be sure, it is a charming, funny, and accomplished film, but the fifth-best ever? Or even the 20th? I have come across many people who have called it their favorite film, and in a way I envy these people, who obviously lack cynicism or despair.

I will say this--Singin' in the Rain has a few of the best musical numbers staged on film. It certainly contains the best one of all time--but I'm not sure which one: Gene Kelly's epic dance to the title tune, or Donald O'Connor's comic masterpiece, "Make 'em Laugh?" "Good Mornin'," and "Moses Supposes" are also winners, and while Kelly's ballet "Broadway Melody" goes on a bit too long, the part where he dances with Cyd Charisse, who sports a train that is about twenty feet long, is stunning.

The film is something of a jukebox musical, incorporating old songs to tell a story about when films learned to talk. Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly), a former vaudevillian, turned stunt man, turned leading man, is paired with a vain star, Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen). They are at the top of their stardom, but when the talkie craze hits, there's a problem--Hagen speaks with a horrible New York accent. After many comic attempts to work around this, Kelly's pal O'Connor comes up with an idea--have Kelly's girlfriend Kathy (Debbie Reynolds) dub Hagen's voice. This works like a charm, but Hagen demands to have all the credit.

This is the second time I've seen the film, and I took note of some aspects. For one, the dance numbers have a sparsity of cuts. I counted only about six or seven in the "Singin' in the Rain" number (there is a rumor that it it was shot in one continuous take with multiple cameras, but this is not true. It is true that Kelly had a 103 degree fever). Directors Kelly and Stanley Donen employ a more theatrical presentation, showing Kelly almost always in full body, with the notable exception of when the camera zooms in on his face turned upward, a fantastic shot that gets me every time.

In O'Connor's "Make 'em Laugh," I think there are fewer cuts, which is amazing considering the pratfalls he endures. I wonder how many takes that took.

Hagen's performance, which earned an Oscar nomination, is a thing of great beauty, too. I was interested to learn, in a perfect definition of irony, that it was her natural voice that was used to dub Reynolds at times, including the climactic scene, when Hagen is exposed as a phony. Another woman, Betty Noyes, dubbed Reynolds' singing voice in other songs.

So, why my reticence? There is some dead weight in Singin' in the Rain. The tribute to old style movie musicals, "Beautiful Girl," only points out how ridiculous those old musicals were, and "You Were Meant for Me," supposedly Kelly and Reynolds' big romantic number, is really a chance to go to the bathroom. Also, the character of R.F. Simpson, played ably by Millard Mitchell, is pure fantasy. No studio head in those days would be so benign.

I like Singin' in the Rain, I really do, but can't call it one of the best movies ever made.