No one even bothers to argue about it any more--by any standard and international consensus, this is the best movie musical of them all. Its arcane, unlikely milieu is Hollywood during the transition in the late 1920s from silent to sound motion pictures. Its reason for being was producer Arthur Freed's desire to use the catalog of songs he had written with Nacio Herb Brown in the '20s and '30s for various shows and movies. But, ironically, it's now the soundtrack that seems cobbled together from disparate sources, while the movie itself remains seamless. That's thanks to a literate screenplay by Adolph Green and Betty Comden and ebulliant acting and dancing by the young Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds. Jean Hagen is especially brilliant as the silent-screen star whose speaking voice is so screechy she has to be dubbed for talkies. Kelly codirected with Stanley Donen, and both can take credit for a masterpiece. Musical standouts are "You Were Meant for Me," "Good Morning" and "All I Do Is Dream of You." Visually, the indelible image will always be Kelly sloshing around in puddles while singin' in the rain. That said, this coupling of video with a definitive version of the soundtrack benefits from Rhino's meticulous reconstruction of the material and extensive annotations, which only enhance our grasp of this film and musical legend's gestation. ---Robert Windeler
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
One of the best Musicals An affectionate look at life at Hollywood life in the 20s. Not superior to An American in Paris as someone labelled it, but splendid in its energy and timelessness even if it is a period picture. Great piece of nostalgia and fantastic dancing sequences. Gene Kelly at his best in designing the choreography and its execution, admirably supported by Donald O'Connor and Cyd Charisse, plus Debbie Reynolds at her cutest.
Great movie!
E.Renard
"Dignity, Always Dignity" 'Singing in the Rain' from '52 is a much loved Hollywood musical that will find the majority of its audience in the over fifty crowd. Its story line deals with the earliest years of the motion picture industry when the painful transfer from silent movies to "talkies" was revolutionizing the world of entertainment, a time when the film industry was still trying to decipher the proper mix for the medium; action, adventure, romance, attractive women and handsome men? Not initially knowing for sure what the... more info
The voice of a skillsaw! A musical of perfection! It's hard to believe that Singin' in the Rain was not a mega-hit when it was first released. An Oscar nomination (Jean Hagen) and a Golden Globe (Donald O'Connor) did not start those lines forming up around the movie palaces of the era. Jean Hagen's performance is laugh-out-loud funny every minute she's on screen! The lack of initial audience response is surprising because this is a wonderful, hilarious spoof of the movie industry, itself and a perfect musical comedy. Gene Kelly's legendary... more info
classic family fun One of my favorite movies ever. Clean and fun. Nice story with funny characters. No sex. No murder or bloodshed. No curse words! They don't write them like that anymore! At least not without animation.
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