Justin Peterson’s review published on Letterboxd:
(Criterion Laser Disc Collection)
Singing and dancing into a new era of cinema.
"Good mornin', good mornin' We've talked the whole night through Good mornin', good mornin' to you!"
It was such a neat coincidence that I happened to watch two versions of 'The Broadway Melody' recently, since Singin’ in the Rain is basically just the Gene Kelly version with him working his way into the movie business, and then adjusting to the transition away from silent movies. He even sings 'The Broadway Melody' tune towards the end. The movie is simply a delight to watch with each perfect dance routine from Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds. Although there were a few routines that felt like they came out of nowhere instead of there being a more natural transition to them.
"Moses supposes his toeses are roses, but Moses supposes erroneously. Moses he knowses his toeses aren't roses as Moses supposes his toeses to be." (Kinda reminds me of reading 'Fox and Socks' to my kids.)
(Quick Hits)
- That opening dance routine with Kelly and O'Connor is just incredible with how they click their feet in all those fun elaborate patterns
- My favorite tunes are 'Good mornin', 'Moses supposes', and the titular Singin’ in the Rain
"Lina, you're a beautiful woman. Audiences think you've got a voice to match. The studio's gotta keep their stars from looking ridiculous at any cost ... Nobody's got that much money."
- The movie ending up being about the difficulty of silent film actors finding a place for themselves in talkie movies helps tie it all together. Including the microphone placement gags, and it being revealed that Lina Lamont's voice had been dubbed.
It is a shame the art of tap dancing has faded from musicals over the years, but at least we can always return to these movies from the golden age of Hollywood to see the masters of dance strut their stuff across the screen. And I can't imagine that anyone has not at least heard the song Singin’ in the Rain, so if you have not seen this classic musical that it is from ... then what are you waiting for?
Thanks for reading.
Happy movie watching ... Cheers!
