Analysis Of Singin In The Rain

Prior to the 1920’s, the film industry consisted of the occasional silent movie and the very beginnings of jazz. People would mostly go to orchestra halls in the nearest city to view orchestras from around the world. Once the “Roarin’ Twenties” rolled around, the entertainment industry as a whole changed drastically. The capital of the entertainment industry was moved from New York City’s bustle and hustle to the quiet developing suburbs of Los Angeles, California, in a quiet area dubbed “Hollywoodland” (Digital History 2016). The silent movie made its big rise here and the first talking movies, also known as “talkies”, were introduced in 1927 (Digital History 2016). The film industry grew rapidly, becoming the fifth largest industry in the

Singin’ in the Rain is a 1952, Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen film based in 1920’s Hollywood. It follows the introduction of sound to the motion picture world and the Monumental Pictures studio’s struggle to adapt to the changing times. With the premier of The Jazz Singer, the first talkie, Monumental Pictures must uproot a current film in production and make the transition to synchronized sound film. It is through this background peek at the world of Hollywood film production that Singin’ in the Rain provides a reliable take on the introduction of sound to the world of motion picture. Viewers are able to grasp a thorough understanding of resources available for recording sound, potential problems that occurred with the

Language developed tremendously through the use of silent films in the 1800s and early 1900s. A silent film is that which consists of only the picture, and no sound. This was an era of truly transformative filmmaking, forcing writers and producers to have to step out of a comfort zone in order to allow purely visual expressions to touch their audiences and convey their stories. This was achieved through a greater emphasis on facial expressions and body language.

Radio spread rapidly, bringing news, sport, light entertainment and advertising into every home. It was realised that radio could be a useful political tool too. The 1920s was also the golden age of silent cinema, with the emergence of Hollywood as the ‘dream factory’ and a new obsession with films stars as celebrities.

The iconic work of Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, the directors of Singin’ in the Rain, has lasted for over 60 years. Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and released in April of 1952, Singin’ in the Rain showcases the talents of Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and Debbie Reynolds. This musical motion picture provides a comedic interpretation on the transition that occurred in the 1920s when motion pictures switched from silent films to talking motion pictures. The transition was hard for numerous actors and actresses in Hollywood, which can be seen throughout this motion picture. Not only is Singin’ in the Rain about the difficulties in transitions, but also the romance of the city of Hollywood and fame. This can be seen through how it relates to the Modernistic movement. Singin’ in the Rain captures the historical influences of the time through the technological advances, accelerated pace of life, and changes to the artistic values.

There are many classic films out there, though only a few help mold future films. Dictionary.com states “classic” means, “serving as a standard, model, or guide”. Singin’ in the Rain is a movie that is just that. A classic. It was filmed in 1952 by leading man himself Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen at MGM Studios. Singin’ in the Rain is a spoof film about the years when film companies and actors were making the transition from silent films to “talkies”. The dynamic acting ability of Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds with their great musical numbers and slapstick comedy has made Singin’ in the Rain a movie family’s have enjoyed for years.

When silent movies were beginning to be replaced by movies with sound, or ‘Talkies’, controversy began to surround Hollywood and it stars. Between Fatty Arbuckle hitting an actress at a party

The 1952 film, Singin’ in The Rain, was directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. Singing in the Rain was a well-known musical, comedy, and romance motion picture. The film was set in Hollywood in the 1920s during the rise of synchronized sound film. The film explores the growing love story of Silent film actor, Don Lockwood and aspiring chorus singer, Kathy Selden. Also, the historical development and on-screen view of synchronized sound being part of the film process.

This film stars singer Harry Belafonte and actress Dorothy Dandridge. The plot of the film is about Belafonte’s character who is in the Air Force and has a girlfriend is seduced by Dandridge’s character and they run off together. They run off to Chicago where Dandridge’s character gets involved with a rich boxer and leaves Belafonte’s character for him. Belafonte’s character goes crazy and kills Dandridge’s character. The film mainly portrays two kinds of stereotype.

What distinguished the films that burst forth from MGM in the 1940s and 1950s, mostly under the producer Arthur Freed, was the integration of musical numbers into the film’s narrative. In these features- the best being directed by Charles Walters, George Sidney, Vincente Minnelli, Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly- song, dance, and music no longer punctuated the plot but actually worked to advance it. In 1951, Vincente Minnelli triumphed with An American in Paris, and it became emblematic of the golden era of MGM musicals.

When they began like in most stages of a new idea it was not thought to be something was going a main stay only a fad in the film “Singin in the Rain”. Obviously this prediction was false and movies with sound have continued to evolve to this day. Sound at that point had only been orchestra accompaniments during the film but turned into a key part of the film. Times were changing and if you could not change with them you were not going to make it very far.

Let’s start with the talkies. The terms talkie and talking picture became superfluous, excessive if you will, throughout the 1930’s. As the depression progressed more and more people favored movies with sound. This meant movie companies had to declare whether their movies were silent or sound (wonderfulcinema.com).

The film, Singing In The Rain, directed by Stanely Donen and Gene Kelly, uses many themes, camera angles, and overall simple techniques to engage its audience within the movie and yet still manage to symbolize plentiful acts. The movie mainly focuses on the new era of ‘talking pictures’ and how it affected Cosmo’s career and film, The Dueling Cavalier. Within the many scenes, I chose to focus upon the famous, “ Good Morning,” scene/melody.

Becoming a good actor was not easy. Since there were no microphones during this era, actors had to

The release of Gordon Hollingshead and Alan Crosland’s The Jazz Singer in 1927 marked the new age of synchronised sound in cinema. The feature film was a huge success at the box office and it ushered in the era David Bordwell describes as ‘Classical Hollywood Cinema’; Bordwell and two other film theorists (Janet Staiger and Kristin Thompson) conducted a formalist analysis of 100 randomly selected Hollywood films from the years 1917 to 1960 in order to fully define this movement. Their results yielded that most Hollywood made films during that era were centred on, or followed, specific blueprints that formed the finished product. Through this analysis of Hollywood films the theorists were able to establish stylised conventions and modes of