Let me warn you before you read this movie review: I have seen many musicals and I've thought almost all were complete nonsense. I'm just not that into Hollywood musicals, the exceptions being Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge, Chicago, and Hello Dolly. That being said, here is my review of Singin' In The Rain...Review:
I have to give credit where credit is due, there is better dancing and choreography in Singin' in the Rain than in any other musical I have ever seen. It puts to shame musicals like A Chorus Line and Grease. The "Broadway Ballet" number has to be the most flamboyant display of talent by Gene Kelly. But since we are on the topic, the dance numbers were far too long, pointless at times, and took away from the story. "Broadway Ballet" had to be at least ten if not fifteen minutes and by the end, I had forgotten what the was point of the dance number. And yes, I did get the joke in the dialogue following the number but still, it felt like all the film makers were doing was showing off Gene Kelly.
There was one particular scene that made me laugh rather hardily. "Moses Supposes" was just hilarious and so well done. The comedic timing was spot on and even the tap dancing scene was well done. I wish more musicals could pull this off but, as i mentioned in an earlier post, like Harrison Ford, Gene Kelly has the "IT" factor and could charm the wool off a sheep. And the Gene Kelly/ Donald O'Connor pair has such good chemistry they make the words literally come alive.
*In my opinion the Kelly/ O'Connor pair were just as good as the Dean Martin/ Jerry Lewis pair*
Acting wise I really don't think there is too much to say that already hasn't been said. Gene Kelly is wonderful, Donald O'Connor is hilarious, and their supporting cast is electrified due to the two actors performances. However I have to say that I found Debbie Reynolds a little flat and uninspiring. There were so many great performances here and I felt that she was just not as bright as the other stars. For example, in the "Good Morning" song I was watching Gene Kelly and O'Connor perform; both were very active and almost making love with the camera. In the same scene Reynolds was stiff and only smiled. For Kelly it looked like fun but for Reynolds it looked like a chore.
As for the way this movie was shot: holy crap. The iconic "Singing in the Rain" scene was gorgeous and the camera angles that were taken made me feel like I was in a dream. It wasn't corny either or over the top... it really seemed to capture the essence of how a person feels when they are falling in love, that feeling of being untouchable. The song "You Were Meant For Me" was so simple in how the stage was set yet it was so beautiful. The camera was very personal but not in the uncomfortable way like in last week's Indemnity.
Closing Comments:
I agree about Debbie Reynolds being 'flat' during Good Morning...you could tell that her dancing was choreographed to fit her talent. Jump on a table and wave your arms till the boys are done seems to sum it up nicely.
ReplyDeleteI love musicals for the most part, but agree that often times the song and dance numbers are just too long I didn't like most of the "Broadway Ballet" its saving grace was the vaudville like dancing of Kelly.
BUT Cosmo stole the show for me and I could have watched him all day.
So I agree with you about the musical numbers being a little too long. However, I didn't think there was much of an in depth story to keep up with around the musical numbers anyway. As Prof McRae said, the story was sort of written around the music that already existed. Maybe that's why the music took up so much time.. because there wasn't much of a story to begin with.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fun read!!
ReplyDeleteBut what's the bigger picture here? You're absolutely right that this movie is like being in a dream. But what goes into making that dream? And what are the lines between dreams and reality, and what does this movie do with those ones?
I really like this review and I agree with most of what you're saying in the post. I unfortunately have not seen very many musicals so I can't comment on how this one compares with others. But I too felt like some of the musical numbers were way too long (particularly "Broadway Ballet"). I also felt like some of the sequences took me out of the film and were a little strange. Like the "Beautiful Girl" sequence. That was just weird. I wasn't a huge fan of the song "You Were Meant For Me" but man was it so well done. The set was so creative and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Debbie Reynolds' performance goes, I sort of agree. I don't think there was anything about her performance that was glaringly bad but I would say that she wasn't nearly as good of a performer as Gene Kelly or Donald O'Connor.
The one thing I really loved about this movie was its story. In some ways it doesn't even seem like a musical (even though it clearly is) because I am so focused on the characters and storyline that I've grown to love. You mentioned some musicals that you thought were really good. I was wondering which ones you would suggest for their story and character. Are there any others that, in a weird way, make you forget that it's a musical? If there's any you would recommend let me know.