Singin' in the Rain (AFI No. 10)
1952, U.S.A., 103m, Color
Directors: Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly
English
Singin’ in the Rain is rightly revered as one of the (if not the) greatest musicals ever made. The musical numbers are all on-target, the dancing is fantastic, and as an added bonus the music actually advances the plot and makes sense in context.
But what really sets the film apart from some of the other excellent musicals of its era is that it is one of the few films Hollywood has made about itself.
It tells the story of film’s transition from silent to sound pictures. Many of the characters are caricatures of real-life personalities, or amalgamations thereof—particularly Jean Hagen’s Lina Lamont, a spoof of 20s sex symbol Clara Bow (a role which earned Hagen a nomination for Best Supporting Actress).
There’s not much to be said about Singin’ in the Rain that hasn’t been said elsewhere. It’s one of the very best movies of all time, and if you haven’t seen it in its entirety then you need to rectify that as soon as possible.