Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Written by Betty Comden & Adolph Green

Directed by Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen

1998 List Ranking: 10

2007 List Ranking: 5

Have you ever seen a film that, when you first saw it, you didn’t like it? And then, when you saw it again, you liked it more than you had before? That’s how I feel about Singin’ in the Rain: this is my third time seeing the film, and each time, I seem to enjoy it more and more. It’s not perfect, and there are definitely parts that grind my gears a little bit, but I also cannot understate how great of a film it really is.

Much like The Artist would do nearly 60 years later (in a far more dramatic fashion), Singin’ in the Rain explores the advent of sound pictures and their effect on silent films (which, if you’ve been playing along at home, you’ll know how much that period interests me). Gene Kelly plays Don Lockwood, a dashing star of the silent screen who, in an attempt to salvage a project (and the sure-to-happen apathy of the public), converts his newest silent film into a musical. Assisting him in this is his new flame Debbie Reynolds as Kathy Selden, who agrees to dub over Don’s longtime on-screen partner Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), a bombshell with an atrocious voice and an unhealthy and unrequited love for Don.

Gene Kelly

Debbie Reynolds

To start with Kelly, there is no denying the absolute star quality he possesses. Not only does he have a million-watt smile, but his enthusiasm is infectious and his abilities, particularly his dancing, are astounding. It’s no surprise that his dancing is amazing, and there are some moments, particularly in the first number we see him in (a flashback recounting his rise to stardom), that the dancing is fantastic. The obvious standout is the title song, famous for being completed while Kelly was battling a 103 degree fever; his talent outshines an illness, and there is no hint of him being under the weather. Next to him, Reynolds more than holds her own (even if, behind the scenes, Kelly was merciless with her). There’s a sweetness about her, even when she’s being just as cunning as the men around her. Watching her dancing is a joy, especially since knowing that she had no dancing background before being cast in the film. There is an odd irony that her role involves her dubbing another actress when her singing voice is itself dubbed.

Donald O’Connor (left) with Don’s dialect coach

Rounding out the main trio is Donald O’Connor as Cosmo, Don’s best friend. Or, more accurately, “best friend”. Of course, it’s 1952, so it’s never been explicitly stated, but let’s face it: Cosmo is gay. SUPER gay. Besides one blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scene in which Cosmo talks to a woman, he spends the rest of the film basically glued at the hip to Don. In addition, essentially everything out of his mouth is a catty retort to someone else. It’s very interesting to me to see this portrayal and considering the history and stigma around it; if the film were made today, it would be much less ambiguous. I’m not the biggest fan of O’Connor’s performance, mainly because it grows to be exhausting after a while, but his own talent can’t be denied.

Jean Hagen

The last of the actors I want to quickly touch on is Jean Hagen as Lina. I think it’s very easy to overlook her performance in the film; serving as the primary antagonist, her role is clearly defined in her first scenes, yet she manages to stay convincing. In addition, so much of the film revolves around her awful performance, so I’m sure Hagan had to work especially hard to act badly (which is much harder to do realistically than one might think).

Where some of the earlier musicals on this list, such as The Jazz Singer, had songs that were completely diegetic to the story (or, songs that are actually performed within the context of the story, such as on stage), Singin’ in the Rain is about 50/50 with that, with some numbers literally taking place within the plot and others taking place figuratively within the plot (for example, “Fit as a Fiddle (And Ready for Love)” or “Beautiful Girl” are diegetic and actually take place within the story, whereas “Moses Supposes” or especially “Good Morning” are non-diegetic and should not be thought of to be actually happening within the plot; their presence is more metaphorical than literal). This isn’t the first film on the list to feature non-diegetic numbers (Swing Time has a couple, and, depending on your interpretation of it, The Wizard of Oz could fall anywhere on the diegetic to non-diegetic spectrum), but so far, none have integrated them as well as this film does.

The overly-long and redundant “Gotta Dance” sequence

One issue I do have with the film is one of the issues I had with Kelly’s 1951 film An American in Paris (which I reviewed as part of the Best Pictures list): a dream ballet. In this film, the “Gotta Dance” sequence has absolutely nothing to do with the plot, but becomes a long, drawn-out, look-at-me showcase for Gene Kelly. Sure, it features some great dancing, but with the film nearly over, it just brings the dramatic motion to a halt to showcase nothing new: we already know by this point of the film that Kelly is a great dancer, so just what is this number proving to us? It has no impact on the plot itself and mostly just feels tacked on and self-aggrandizing.

There are so many other things I could mention about this film, such as the battle of silent films vs. talkies and how that fight somewhat mirrors the fight between stage and screen acting. Or, I could talk about some of the great camera work, such as in the “You Were Meant for Me” sequence. I could even talk about the costumes (suffice it to say that, as a bit of a self-declared old-soul, I LOVE Kelly’s wardrobe in the film, particularly in the “Moses Supposes” number). Alas, there just isn’t room or time. Singin’ in the Rain feels to me a bit like a fine wine: better and better with the passage of time. I can’t think of many films that have risen up my preference ladder like this one has, and I can definitely understand not only its inclusion on this list, but its place among the greatest of films.

FINAL GRADE: A