The sun still shines in 'Singing in the Rain'
Gene Kelly does his thing
If you hate musicals, you’ll hate this pronto. But if you can see the beauty of it and appreciate good voices, you will love it.
Watching a film that has been so widely acclaimed is not easy. Watching a film from 56 years ago, doubly so. The first time I inserted the dvd into the player, I switched it off within the first three minutes. Clearly, I was taken aback with the difference in today’s films.
The second time I watched it, I found myself wondering why anyone would consider doing a remake of a classic.
The premise of the film ‘Singing in the Rain’ is simple. A studio (and its actors) makes the transition from silent films to ‘talking pictures’. Gene Kelly plays the suave lead man Don Lockwood with Jean Hagen playing the leading lady Kathy Selden. Debbie Reynolds takes on the task of Kathy Selden, a small-time singer.
Cringe-worthy parts include slapstick jokes that worked in the past – before special effects became the usual form of entertainment – but get past that and look at the quality achieved through a simple storyline, a charismatic lead (certainly a rare commodity), talented voices and the usual happy ending.
The hilarity performed by Hagen meant an Academy Award nomination for her. Though she did not clinch the Oscar, it was a love to hate character in perfect contrast to Debbie Reynold’s perfect Kathy.
Gene Kelly himself sang the title song – which incidentally inspired the film – and that scene was said to be one of the more memorable scenes in cinema (it certainly must have inspired Bollywood film Koi… Mil Gaya’s singing in the rain scene).
Debbie Reynolds is sugary sweet most of the film though her first scene showed a different side of her. Her voice is undoubtedly good and deserving of the praises lapped onto her.
Overall, the film succeeded in doing what it set out to do – entertain. The love story served as a small backdrop behind what is essentially a tale of people, the struggles of adaptation and stardom.
