SOGGY SPOILER ALERT
Despite the title giving away the big dance number, Singin’ in the Rain inspires generations of film and TV
It might just be the ultimate rainyday movie. It’s also the king of spoiler titles: Singin’ in the Rain builds to Gene Kelly’s performance in a downpour, which is also one of the most inspirational movie moments. Who hasn’t wanted to swing on a lamppost and belt out that tune during a rainstorm?
The 1952 MGM musical gets a special treatment in the newly released 60th anniversary collector’s edition, which includes both DVD and Bluray discs and a commentary track and making-of features that were put together 10 years ago. New to this set is a book of photos and the documentary Raining on a New Generation.
It’s an awkward title, but a fascinating feature that interviews modern choreographers, dancers and filmmakers about the lasting impact the film has had on musical dance numbers.
Zachary Woodlee, co-producer and choreographer of TV’s Glee, has clearly studied the film frame by frame, and points out a shot where Debbie Reynolds finds a streamer on her face during a party song-and-dance routine. It’s obviously not supposed to be there, “but she’s still going for it,” and manages to sweep it away with a shrug of her shoulders, followed by the tiniest annoyed roll of her eyes. The lesson? “Find the great mistakes and use that.”
Woodlee also points out that Reynolds, not yet 20 and in her first major film role, was a trained gymnast but not a professional dancer. Still, her strength and expertise helps in almost invisible ways, as when Kelly lifts her up during one number and she works to support part of her weight, making her seem lighter. (Reynolds would later say that giving birth and making Singin’ in the Rain were the two most difficult things she ever did.)
Other fans interviewed
in the feature include Rob Marshall, Baz Luhrmann and Michael Rooney. He was the choreographer for ( 500) Days of Summer, which includes a great oldmovie-style dance featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, set to Hall and Oates’ You Make My Dreams Come True.
Rooney notes that Kelly’s dance style has a ruggedness and a realness to it. Watching him, you could almost believe you could do that, too. Cast members from Glee point out that Kelly’s masculine demeanour helped make it OK for men to dance. “It was just like watching any sport to me,” says one.
The plot of the film will sound familiar to fans of The Artist. Kelly plays Don Lockwood, a silent film star whose transition to talkies is hampered by the fact that his leading lady (Jean Hagen) sounds like a drunken parrot. They hatch a scheme to have a chorus girl (Reynolds) double as her voice. Of course, Don is also falling in love with the girl. (Years later, the movie’s Good Morning number would be used to sell Viagra, which is either a high compliment or a slap in the face.)
One lesson The Artist took from Singin’ in the Rain for its final number was to shoot the dancers in uninterrupted full-length takes, to prove that there’s no trickery. They’re really doing it.
Charles Klapow, the choreographer for High School Musical, says that when he first saw Singin’ in the Rain as a child, the story meant nothing to him. “As a little 10-year-old kid, all I wanted to see was the singing and the dancing.” The Blu-ray obliges, with a feature that allows you to jump from one musical number to the next. The box set also comes with an umbrella, in case the spirit really takes you.