Detailed item info | Movie description | "Just about the best Hollywood musical of all time," wrote Pauline Kael about SINGIN' IN THE RAIN.
After years of honing his skills on the vaudeville stage, hoofer Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) has finally reached the top and become a swashbuckling star of the silent silver screen. Then the self-satisfied celebrity has his confidence shattered when ingenue Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) dismisses film actors as "shadows" without substance. After getting over the insult, he falls hard for her--much to the consternation of his costar, the sexy, selfish Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), who wants Don all to herself.
But Don has career troubles too. The wild popularity of THE JAZZ SINGER has studios scrambling to change from silent films to talkies, and Lina's shrill voice and Don's stiff acting left the preview audience roaring with laughter. There's only one way to save the movie and their careers: turn THE DUELLING CAVALIER into a musical, with Kathy secretly dubbing in Lina's lines and songs. But can they hide the truth from Lina?
| | Credits | | Producer: | Arthur Freed | | Cast: | Cyd Charisse, David Sharpe, Dawn Addams, Dorothy Patrick, Elaine Stewart, Joi Lansing, Kathleen Freeman, Patricia Denise |
| | Details | | Edition: | 40th Anniversary Edition | | Sound: | HiFi Sound, Stereo Sound, |
| | Notes | SINGIN' IN THE RAIN was an original selection to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1989.
Many of the dance sequences are an homage to Busby Berkeley musicals.
MGM still photos more than two decades old were used to reproduce faithfully the 1920s movie studio.
The piece of silk Cyd Charisse dances with in "The Broadway Ballet" is more than 25 feet long.
Ironically, Debbie Reynold's singing voice was dubbed in by Jean Hagen.
Songwriters Freed and Brown worked on the music for MGMs first all-talking musical film.
The song "Make 'Em Laugh" was based on a Cole Porter song used in the film THE PIRATE.
Other musical numbers include: "Singin' in the Rain," "You Were Meant for Me," and "All I Do Is Dream of You."
| | Editorial reviews | "...Near-perfect musical comedy....It's funny and fast-paced..."
USA Today - p.10D - Tom Green
"...A movie about movie-making, in which sound is married to image, it smoothly integrates its several superbly choreographed song-and-dance numbers into the storyline..." -- 5 out of 5 stars
Total Film - p.106 - Tom Dawson
"...There is no movie musical more fun that SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, and few that remain as fresh over the years....SINGIN' IN THE RAIN is a transcendent experience, and no one who loves movies can afford to miss it..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (02/14/1999)
"...More than ever, the sheer formal discipline of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, from costumes to choreography, feels like a lost art..."
Entertainment Weekly - Steve Daly (09/27/2002)
"...Sublime..."
Sight and Sound - Danny Leigh (06/01/2001)
"[O]ne of the greatest movies about Hollywood. With in-jokes galore and effortless breaks into song and dance..."
Premiere - Premiere Staff (12/01/2003)
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