Singin' in the Rain

You'll be right at home with the basic premise (which is far from being the only thing the film stands on) if you've seen the Oscar-winning The Artist. Again, this is the era of the transition from silent to talkies and all the tribulations that go with it, but the main mission of this film is something else: an infectious joie de vivre. Nowhere, in any other film, will you see such unique dance numbers! The music is great, and the actors? Debbie Reynolds is sweet, Kelly's sidekick Donald O'Connor is a blessing for any film's driving force in how talented he is, precise in his role, and a match for the film's main star, who is, of course, Gene Kelly, a genius gifted with musicality and movement, and such a tremendous likeable guy that I would have fallen in love with him that morning if I weren't straight. The roughly twenty-minute passage in the second half of the film, in which one stage after another alternates in rapid succession, is a visual treat for any aesthete, and the individual performances have been described as the forerunners of today's music videos in terms of imagination and variety. This film is the essence of a beautiful and positive cinematic experience, and it looks stunning on Blu-ray! (16/04/2013)

An incredibly positive film. I wouldn’t play the songs, they are not my thing, but I really enjoyed them here. In a nutshell, concentrated good mood to drive away even the deepest melancholy. Better than a ball. 95% (12/08/2009)

A disjointed collection of tele-variety singing and dancing numbers that don't quite fit together, though most of them are themselves excellent examples of Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor skills. But don’t expect any connection or relevance to the plot is in those numbers (led by "Broadway Ballet," a segment from both a completely different film and era); Kelly simply had an idea for another lavish number, so he forcefully incorporated it in this film. There are exactly two numbers in the entire film that develop the characters or advance the plot, the rest is pure "listen and see what I can do and how I can do it, and then we'll get back to the film" – and both Gene and Donald damn sure can. And so much so that poor Debbie Reynolds is outnumbered (except for "Good Morning"). The storyline outside of "stop the movie, now let's dance for a while" is a classically constructed screwball comedy. Unfortunately, it's woefully devoid of chemistry between Kelly and Reynolds (except for the opening scenes, where they sparkle appropriately). Jean Hagen serves purely as a caricature of a joke that stops being funny already the first time, and the viewer is treated to something like 1623 more of them. As dynamic, playful and imaginative as some of the numbers are (led by the grotesquely surrendering "Make 'Em Laugh"), there's also the tedious sonata "You Were Meant for Me", which feels like six hours long, though it lasts perhaps not even five minutes. The opening is long, with two short songs, incorporated into the plot like a theatrical or party performance, or pretending to be a musical that won't violate "reality", only to be followed by a segment where one number succeeds another, distorting "reality" as if it's not supposed to. Basically, every ten minutes it's a different stylization and a different stand-alone segment. Rightly timeless in its individual parts (is hard to find a better as a showcase of Gene Kelly as a dancer, singer, choreographer, stuntman, visionary), but as a whole a dysfunctional romance/musical/holdover to the early days of sound film... Well, just like a movie. (03/01/2024)

As much as I dislike musicals (which I mention here quite often), this is another welcome exception, but this time it's a really big and bold one. The basics of any musical, i.e. beautiful musical accompaniment and choreographies, are fulfilled here one to the fullest, supported by likeable actors and a story so energetic and cheerful that even Charlie Chaplin in his prime would not be ashamed of it. Anyway, I'm glad I found the top of a genre I'm not a fan of – my admiration for the filmmakers and the performances is justified as rarely in this case. 95% (22/07/2013)

The history of cinema has produced many artistic gems that have been able to stand the test of time with grace, and Singin' in the Rain, rightly hailed as one of the best musicals ever made, is a shining example of this. It's a shame that I procrastinated so long in seeing this classic of its genre, but I'm glad I got to see it, and that I had the opportunity to do it on the big screen, where it definitely belongs. The film captivates and amazes (even today) with its flawless dance numbers and catchy songs, which are laced with likeable and easygoing humour and amazing performances. Alongside this, I enjoyed the truly entertaining and to some extent enlightening excursion into an era when filmmakers had to deal with the advent of sound, which almost no film can do without these days. When I saw the film in the cinema, I felt an incredibly strong charge from it, a kind of extremely positive energy that radiated from the screen and didn't let me take my eyes off it for a moment. A very high quality cinematic experience, which even after so long since its release hasn't come to a single wrinkle or grey hair. (22/10/2018)

A film about a film within a film, in which we are taken through different levels of the medium in long (too long) choreographed sequences, such that emerging back to reality afterwards from that whole world is like waking up from a very long and deep dream. The technicolor colors, the inhuman visage of the protagonists, and their eerily perfect choreography only add to this. Fortunately, while watching, I am occasionally thrown off my tracks by the sharp pain of getting kicked in the ribs by Alex DeLarge. (09/11/2018)

It's actually a very simple romance, but when you have captivating actors, singers, and dancers, sometimes all in one person, then in that case, it simply has to enchant you. And the finale is just beautiful, moreover, everything is done in such a way that even the fact that one of the heroines is somewhat hurt is forgivable. But yeah, why wouldn't one be able to watch a film that is simply beautiful and have fun with it. (06/11/2014)