ET15 SINGING IN THE RAIN: MUSICAL NUMBERS

The 1952 American comedy musical film Singing In The Rain has been accorded legendary status by it's contemporary critics, no small feat by any means. This film is as unabashedly American as apple pie, and I'm sure any American worth his salt has watched this film at least once. Now, I'm not an American, but having watched this film once, I'm glad I had the chance to, because this is truly a great film. ranking right up there in the higher echelons of films with greats such as Citizen Kane and Gone With The Wind. While the plot (A movie within a movie) is undoubtedly a breath of fresh air, it really isn't novel, as it HAS been done before. The main draw, for me, has to be the musical numbers performed in the film. I'm going to talk about 3 of my favorite numbers in the film right here, starting with. . .

Make Em' Laugh

In this number, Donald O'Connor gives, in my opinion, the second best solo performance in the film, coming in second only to Gene Kelly's Singing In The Rain. In the plot, Donald O'Connor sings this song in order to cheer up a very depressed Gene Kelly. While it isn't really necessary to break into song and dance to cheer up a depressed friend (a round of drinks at the local watering hole would've sufficed), the musical number does manages to convey O'Connors feelings and thoughts in a way that cannot be encapsulated by thought (or beer). Being critical, I'd have to say this number didn't really move the plot along, nor was it diagetic. Personally though, this was my favorite part of the film, seeing Donald O'Connor bouncing around like a mad March hare, the slapstick comedy shown here a fitting homage to the great comedians of the silent era like Chaplin and Keaton. O'Connors wonderful performance had me chuckling rather loudly, earning me some dirty looks from my classmates. Sucks to them for not appreciating this immortal piece of comedy then!

You Were Meant For Me

This romantic number, performed by Kelly, is extraordinary, to say the least. Don, in an effort to "do things right", brings Kathy to a studio with sets such as a balcony, a glorious backdrop and colored lights to serenade her with his smooth warbling. Presumably, she wasn't too impressed by his dropping-out-of-nowhere-and-acting-like-a-douche maneuver nor his previous merciless taunting of her profession. This time however, he has clearly and unashamedly fallen in love with her. Don is revealing his true self, buried beneath the multiple personas he had to play on screen. The emotions displayed on screen are almost palpable, and the sexual tension between them is just sizzling. Even the dance itself, is slow and charged with emotion.The lyrics of the number are simple yet incredibly powerful, when sung by the talented Kelly, making it really easy on the ears. In my opinion, this number really moves the plot along by resolving a number of problems, chiefly, by tearing through the veil of lies and deception created by both Don and Kathy in order to hide their blossoming feelings for each other. And last but most definitely not least. . .

Singing In The Rain

Ah, at last. The pièce de résistance of the film. Was the song named after the title? Or the title after the song? Just the name of the song is an enigma. Anyway, the first thing you notice about the song, is how incredibly uplifting the music is, which compliments the previous song (You Were Meant For Me) well, as the song was incredibly emotional. The song itself, manages to capture that child-like wonder we all experience the first time we feel the wonderful rain on our faces. But, the song isn't just about how awesome rain is. It is also about love, that magical moment when you fall in love for the very first time. In fact, this song is, in my opinion, all about firsts and new experiences. The other thing that stands out, is how incredibly happy Don looks while he is singing. It is as though the rain has washed away all his worries and inhibitions, and at that moment, he is no longer an actor nor a dancer nor a singer, he is just Don, doing what he loves the most. While this number is indeed amazing, it is also true that all good things must come to an end. A policewoman walks by, and he is forced to stop his antics, although he should consider himself lucky. If he tried to pull this off in today's New York, he'd likely be arrested so fast he can't even finish singing the opening lines. To suggest the number is non-diagetic would be blasphemous, as the title of the movie was taken from this very song !