Singin In The Rain Analysis

While many of the great pieces of art do their best to tear at the issues of their contemporary times, a few great works simply go out of their way to be a ton of fun. Singin’ in the Rain is one of those works, an upbeat musical about the transition from silent to sound pictures. Featuring incredibly colorful numbers and a simple but effective plot about recognition, it is one of the most fun movies to just sit down and watch.

There is a certain art in being cheerful that is harder to achieve than drama. Happiness is an emotion that is hard to fully accept when presented in a fictional form. Every measure of Singin’ in the Rain is layered with bona fide joy. Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and Debbie Reynolds simply seem happy to be there entertaining us. Musical numbers always have a carefree joviality, whether it is Kelly on his lonesome stomping through the rain or the trio dancing in a living room. It is one of the first color films to really make a statement with the technology, showing that there is a picturesque quality available that black and white lacks, even if they lose out on the effects of shadows. One number is a parade of various women in costumes, a sequence that simply couldn’t work without color. It is a pretty film, even to this day, being more aware of its colors than most modern films.

Debbie Reynolds plays Kathy Selden, a woman brought into a film production to voice the leading lady, who had the physical qualities necessary for a silent film but a voice that would instantly kill her career when sound comes in. It is a question of due credit. Why doesn’t Selden deserve the credit for being the voice of the star? She is instead forced to hide it away, being an integral part of the production but not of its