Gene kellys beaming, dropdrenched solo from the beloved 1952 mgm classic singin in the rain, as celebrated a songanddance number as has ever been committed to film. Its difficult for the camera to pick up on rain drops. Watching singin in the rain is an exuberant, magical experience a journey deep into the heart of feelgood territory. Stanley donen, director who filmed gene kelly singing in. The three starsgene kelly, donald oconnor and 19yearold debbie reynoldsmust have rehearsed endlessly for their dance numbers, which involve alarming acrobatics, but in performance they re giddy with joy. And when debbie is supposedly dubbing jeans singing of would you. Love and music in singin in the rain film music notes.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Singin in the rain is a 1952 american musical romantic comedy film directed and. He sees the successful production of the show in singin in the rain, the revamping of the duelling cavalier into the singing cavalier as a visually uncensored form of lovemaking. Sitting through the films 102 minutes is like ingesting a moodaltering drug. To fix this, they stretched a giant tarpaulin across the whole area to block out the light, then filmed as if they were shooting in the dark. Singin in the rain isnt just an upbeat musical from 1952.
Singin in the rain is such a classic movie, almost everyone has seen it. Kellys soakingwet singin in the rain dance number is the single most memorable dance number on film, peter wollen wrote in a. The result, codirected and choreographed by stanley donen and gene kelly, is a frothy but sledgehammeraccurate comedy set during the transition from silent film to. She did a deadon impression of judy hollidays billie dawn character from. Did old hollywood movies really use milk as rain instesd. Singin in the rains good morning shows debbie reynolds. Why was the title song in singin in the rain so challenging to film. A classic 1952 musical film from mgm, singin in the rain happened when the legendary team of comden and green were given the keys to the studios music vaults and told to pound out a script based on what they found inside.
It stars don lockwood and lina lamont, two of the brightest silent film stars in hollywood. Singing in the rain is an american comedy musical film starring gene kelly, debbie reynolds, donald oconnor and jean hagen, and directed by gene kelly and stanley donen. Singing in the rain is one of my favorite musical films. People who say they do like musicals already know and love singin in the rain otherwise they have no business saying they love musicals. The joyous film, codirected by stanley donen and acrobatic dancerstarchoreographer gene kelly, is a charming, upbeat, graceful and.
The movie singin in the rain opens in a film premier of the royal rascal an internal film within the fictional world of the movie. I am a sucker for anything with elaborate tap dancing numbers, and while gene kelly is no fred astaire, he holds his own in this film along with donald oconnor and debbie reynolds. Rather, it was a new script, written just for the movie. In the parade of great sequences from hollywoods golden age of musicals, movie lovers often agree that it starts with a downpour. Voice and sound in singin in the rain ufilm analysis blog. Debbie reynolds real story behind singing in the rain shows how fierce she was this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. The real meaning behind the creation of singin in the rain. While lina is singingsingin in the rain reprise, don, cosmo, and r. Music signin in the rain learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. Some 30 years later, after the film had become a beloved classic, it was. The singing in the rain number took all day to set upand gene kelly was very ill some say with a fever over 101. Did cosmo actor donald oconnor hurt himself performing acrobatics in make em laugh. Singin in the rain is considered by many people to be among the best hollywood musicals of all time.
In 2005 the british film institute included it in its list of the 50 films to be seen by. It was all draped in black tarpaulin, so he would come outside of the. He adlibbed most of it and it only took one take, which is what you see on film. Many movie musicals of the 1930s, 40s and 50s were based on stage shows, but this wasnt one of them. The set was actually located in an outdoor studio area, which posed another interesting dilemma for the cinematographers. Kelly got the part when it was rewritten to be an exvaudeville singerdancer, instead. With gene kelly, donald oconnor, debbie reynolds, jean hagen. Don tells the crowd all about his cultured, utterly refined upbringing, while flashbacks reveal that hes lying his pants off. When the stars, don lockwood gene kelly and lina lamont jean hagen, finally arrive, they march onto the red carpet accompanied by screaming and fainting from the audience. Gene kellys widow busts the myths about singin in the rain. In this story of silenttosound an actors voice means everything and when villianess jean hagen thought she could take over the studio debbie reynolds proves to the.
The internet is clogged with myths about her late husband gene kellys iconic movie singin in the rain and very few of them are true. Kelly singing you were meant for me to reynolds on an empty sound. Why singin in the rain is an almost perfect musical. In 1963 charisse and her husband, singer tony martin, formed a. Gene kelly in singin in the rain gene kelly in singin in the rain 1952, directed by kelly and stanley donen. It was made directly for film, and was not a broadway adaptation. Director stanley donen was the mastermind behind the movie musical. Debbie reynolds became a star thanks to singin in the rain, a film that has gone down as the greatest musical ever made by mgm and possibly all of hollywood. Singin in the rain emerged as a classic, considered by many to be the greatest hollywood musical ever made. Singin in the rain, american musical comedy film, released in 1952, that was. He hated having to tap dance in films, because it was gruelling, he had to go in with a. Singin in the rain the first obstruction the soul of. For those who have seen the movie, the reason for this is not difficult to understand.
In the 1989 woody allen film crimes and misdemeanors, cliff woody allen and halley watch singin in the rain at cliffs apartment. Making singin in the rain and childbirth were the two hardest things ive. Donald oconnor admitted that he did not enjoy working with gene kelly, since. When it was all set up, kelly insisted on doing a takeeven though the blocking was only rudimentary starting and ending positions only, and codirector stanley donen was ready to send him home. Contrary to myth, the rain did not have milk in it supposedly needed to. Singin in the rain 1952 is one of the mostloved and celebrated film musicals of all time from mgm, before a mass exodus to filmed adaptations of broadway plays emerged as a standard pattern. Singing in the rainumbrella glee tv show wiki fandom. Singin in the rain, american musical comedy film, released in 1952, that was a reunion project for the american in paris directorial team of stanley donen and gene kelly, who was also the films star. One of my favorite things about singing in the rain is the elaborate miseenscene, which contributes to the film within a film or world. How do filmmakers make it look like its raining in movies. Patricia ward kelly wants to set the record straight.
All kidding aside, singin in the rain is actually a pretty interesting entry in the pantheon of moviemusicals because all of those songs and epic dances pop up organically. But these 11 behind the scenes facts are definitely lesser known. The early scenes in singin in the rain depicting the wildly innovative, almost anarchic beginnings of the modern film industry are actually very accurate to that innovative and improvisational time. There are a lot of myths and facts bouncing around. It offers a comic depiction of hollywood, and its transition from silent films to talking films. Cliff claims to watch the film every few months to keep my spirits up. Through some of the most memorable and exuberant musical and comedy sequences ever filmed, singin in the rain capitalized on the dilemmas of the transition to sound. Debbie reynolds real story behind singing in the rain. With an almost uncanny choreographic sense of how happiness buoys the spirit and ignores the. Songs like singin in the rain with gene kelly and make em laugh with donald oconnor show that musicals are great when they stick with a fantasy side and a lighter side. Singin in the rain starts off at the 1927 premiere of the new monumental pictures film the royal rascal. The private show of love is displayed through the vehicle of the public spectacle. Both films were period pieces, but singin in the rain required a greater number of elaborate, ornately detailed costumes than gone with the wind did. There is no focus capable of capturing water in the form of rain drops, while being able t.
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