Singin In The Rain Analysis

Both Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard (1950), and Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly’s Singin’ in the Rain (1952) tell the story about the film industry’s transition from silent pictures to “talkies,” however, they are drastically different in their themes and genres. Sunset Boulevard is drama, while Singin’ in the Rain is a musical comedy. Billy Wilder takes a darker approach to the transition to sound by depicting an actress, Norma Desmond, played by Gloria Swanson, that is left behind by the advent of sound unable to act. Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly take the opposite angle and completely contrast Wilder’s film with a spoof film about the movement to sound films. The clear contrast between these two films is seen in their camerawork. Wilder instills fear and sadness, while Donen and Kelly emit joy and laughter through their film.
Each film features main characters that consider themselves actors, Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard and Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain, but Gloria

Swanson is falling out of the lime light, while on the other hand, Gene Kelly’s future is only getting brighter. Gloria Swanson’s character, Norma Desmond, becomes completely irrational, and slightly scary by the end of the film. She obsesses over the idea of becoming a star once more, even though she is out of work due to the advent of synchronized sound films. The camera documents her descent into madness in a very delicate manner. The camera stays distant, and never gets too close unless she is becoming tense. The dynamic shots are motivated by plot or movement of the characters, but it never joins the characters in the story.
On the other hand, Harold Rosson, the cinematographer of Singin’ in the Rain, participated in the movement and dances the characters were creating. The camera is rarely static. The camerawork is beautifully choreographed along with the music and the talent. The camera dances with the characters allowing the audience to feels as if they are dancing along with the stars. The constant whimsical and fun movement of the camera adds energy to the humorous story line. Most of the time the camera is set up for a long shot in order to capture all of the stunts, choreography, and talent in one very long take. Most of the musical sequences are shot in the same manner, but they never get stale due to the fluid motion of the camera.
In the very last scene of Sunset Boulevard, Gloria Swanson is shot at a very low angle as she looks over the staircase.

She is terrifying with a glare of power. The low angle is clearly unflattering, but it creates an atmosphere of fear and anxiety as to what she may do next. The camera does not treat her as the star she wants to be, but as the lunatic she is going to become. Debbie Reynolds and Gene Kelly never have an unflattering angle. They always look sweet or handsome, never ugly. These looks all depend on the camera angle. An eye level shot, or a slightly above eye level shot, have an angelic quality to them where there are no harsh shadows. Singin’ in the Rain only contains shots of similar nature.
The contrast in stylistic camerawork creates two completely different stories, even though the stories are based around the same historical event. Billy Wilder tells a story about a forgotten star, while Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly make fun of the whole new situation with a

musical.