Singin in the rain.doc

7/27/2019 Singin in the rain.doc

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Singin' in the Rain(1952) is one of the most-loved and celebrated film musicals of all timefrom MGM, before a mass exodus to filmed adaptations of Broada! pla!s emer"ed as astandard pattern# $he %o!ous film, co-directed b! &tanle! 'onen and acrobatic dancer-star-choreo"rapher Gene ell!, is a charmin", up-beat, "raceful and thorou"hl! en%o!able experienceith "reat son"s, lots of flashbacs, onderful dances (includin" the spectacularBroadwayMelody Balletith le""! "uest star *!d *harisse), castin" and stor!# $his as another

extraordinar! example of the or"anic, +inte"rated musical+ in hich the stor!+s charactersnaturall! express their emotions in the midst of their lives# &on" and dance replace the dialo"ue,usuall! durin" moments of hi"h spirits or passionate romance# nd over half of the film - a +let+sput on a pla!+ t!pe of film, is composed of musical numbers#

$his superb film, called MGM+s $.*/0*34 Musical $reasure, as produced durin"MGM studios+ creative pinnacle# rom the late 1967s to the earl! 1987s, producer rthur reedproduced more than fort! musicals for MGM# $he creative forces at the studio in the reed nit- composed of reed, :incente Minnelli, &tanle! 'onen, and actor;choreo"rapher Gene ell! -also collaborated to"ether to produce such "ems asMeet Me in St. Louis (1944), The Pirate(1948), On the Town (1949), Best


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Good Mornin" Baes in Ars (199)

ould AouC San 2ran!is!o (19)

Broada! 4h!thm Broadway Melody o' 19 (19")0Baes in Ars (199)

Aou re M! 3uc! &tar Broadway Melody o' 19 (19")0Baes in Ars (199)

$he plot of the film is actuall! an autobio"raph! of /oll!ood itself at the dan of the talies#$he stor! is about a dashin", smu" but romantic silent film star and sashbuclin" matinee idol('on 3ocood) and his "lamorous blonde screen partner;diva (3ina 3amont) ho areexpected, b! studio heads, to pretend to be romanticall! involved ith each other# $he! are alsopressured b! the studio boss 4## &impson (Millard Mitchell) to chan"e their silent romanticdrama (The 3uellin% a&alier) and mae their first sound picture, renamed as the musical The3an!in% a&alier# $here+s one serious problem, hoever - the temperamental, narcissistic star

has a shrill, screech! 0e Aor accent# $he star+s ex-son"-and-dance partner (*osmo) proposesto turn the doomed film into a musical, and su""ests that 'on+s aspirin" actress and in"enuedancer-"irlfriend (ath! &elden) dub in her sin"in" voice behind the scenes for lip-s!nchin"3ina# $he results of their schemin" to expose the %ealous 3ina and put ath! in a revealin"limeli"ht provide the film+s expected happ! resolution#

&urprisin"l!, this "reat film that as shot for a cost of D2#5 million (about D#5 million over-bud"et), as basicall! i"nored b! film critics hen released and treated ith indifference (ithbox-office of D=#= orldide)# t received onl! to cadem! ard nominations - Best&upportin" ctress (Eean /a"en), and Best Musical &core (3ennie /a!ton) and didn+t in an!aards# $he film+s musical score scar nomination lost to lfred 0eman+s score for $ith aSon% in My *eart#

0o, after man! accolades, television screenin"s, and its resur"ence after the release of Thats5ntertainent (1964), it is often chosen as one of the all-time top ten merican films, and"enerall! considered /oll!ood+s "reatest and finest screen musical# Great care as made toauthenticate the costumes, the sound studio set, and other historical details in the film# $hefilm+s title son" as paid tisted homa"e (of sorts) in &tanle! ubric+sA lo!7wor7 Oran%e(1961)durin" the brutal rape scene# t the same time thatSin%in in the #ainas bein" filmed,another MGM film exposin" and satiri>in" /oll!ood+s foibles as also in production - director:incente Minnelli+s melodramatic The Bad and the Beauti'ul (19"+), starrin" ir 'ou"las and3ana $urner, and scar-stealin" Gloria Grahame ho defeated this film+s Eean /a"en for theBest &upportin" ctress honor#

$arner *oe ideopresents MGM+s acclaimed musical antholo"ies - Thats 5ntertainent,Thats 5ntertainent, Part +and Thats 5ntertainent :::- in a special edition four-disc ':'"iftset, That's Entertainment The !omplete !olle"tion# 4epresentin" some of the mostreFuested titles (includin"Sin%in in the #ain) in /:+s vast librar!, That's EntertainmentThe !omplete !olle"tion"ets the red carpet treatment ith each feature in the trilo"!presented ith a full! remastered picture and 'olb! 'i"ital 5#1 audio, and features both the18x9 idescreen theatrical version, plus full-screen x6 version ith letterboxed performancese"ments# *lic on banner belo for more informationH
http://www.greatestfilms.org/cloc.htmlhttp://www.greatestfilms.org/cloc.htmlhttp://www.greatestfilms.org/bada.htmlhttp://www.thatsentertainmentdvd.com/http://www.thatsentertainmentdvd.com/http://www.greatestfilms.org/cloc.htmlhttp://www.greatestfilms.org/cloc.htmlhttp://www.greatestfilms.org/bada.htmlhttp://www.thatsentertainmentdvd.com/


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ine, ith 'on and 3ina pictured on the cover ith the stor! titledH 3ocood and3amont - 4eel 3ife or 4eal 3ife 4omanceC $he tabloids exa""erate their relationship -presentin" them as virtuall! en"a"ed#

3ouella


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#o"$%ood's &erales"ription

APPEARA!E

The S"reen &ersion

REA#IT*

ith him (*osmo), used to

perform for all of Mom and 'ad+ssociet! friends#

$he! tap danced in poolrooms to

harmonica music, and "atheredpennies off the floor that erethron to them#

$hen if as ver! "ood, asalloed to accompan! Mom and'ad to the theatre# $he! brou"htme up on &ha, Moliere - the finestof the classics#

$he! snuc into movie theatres toatch B-movie shos (such as The3an%ers o' 3ru!illa(a-in% -on%rip-off))#

$o this as added ri"orous musicaltrainin" at the *onservator! of inerts#

*osmo pla!s a hon!-ton pianoaccompanied b! 'on sain" on afiddle, in a three-man band in asmo! bar-%oint#

$hen e rounded out ourapprenticeship at the mostexclusive dramatics academ!#

$he! audition for burlesFue-st!lemateur 0i"hts ith a t!picalslapstic vaudeville routine# $he!eren+t ala!s received ithapplause - sometimes the! "ot thehoo#

n a fe !ears, *osmo and ereread! to embar on a dance concerttour# e pla!ed the finests!mphonic halls in the countr!#udiences ever!here adored us#

&i"nposts from out-of-the-a!tons locate them in 'ead Man+san", ri>ona, at Meal, 0ebrasa,and *o!oteville, 0e Mexico,here the! are booed off the sta"eb! the audience after a double-fiddle, tap-dance number#

$he next sta"e in 'on+s career too him to sunn! *alifornia - /oll!ood# ('on and *osmo arepictured standin" in front of an unemplo!ment office in the rain#) e ere###sta!in" here,restin" up hen the offers from the movie studio started pourin" in# $he! "ot their start bothpla!in" B-movie bac"round music for Monumental


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$he stor! then returns to the front of Grauman+s $heatre in the present, and 'on continues,doin" all the talin" for the pairH ell, 3ina and have had the same onderful relationshipever since# 'urin" the screenin" of The #oyal #as!al(a spoof fashioned after Gene ell!+sperformance in MGM+s The Three Mus7eteers (1948)), one of the !oun" flappers in the audiencecomments to her "irlfriend about the sophisticated screen ima"e that 3ina+s beaut! pro%ectsH&he+s so refined# thin +ll ill m!self#

'urin" the curtain call, folloin" the shoin" of the ne sashbucler silent filmThe #oyal#as!althat ends ith the stars issin" each other, 'on doesn+t let 3ina sa! a ord, and e soonlearn h!# Bacsta"e after the successful premiere, dim-itted, shrill-voiced, silent film star,blonde, e"omaniacal bombshell 3ina speas for the first time, in a shrill, common voice# ?sstated earlier, her role deliberatel! imitates Eud! /ollida!+s characteri>ation of dit>! Billie 'aninBorn ;esterday (19"/), both on sta"e and screen# nd she also is imitatin" a composite of 27svamps, such as


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adorin" fans# 'on feeds her a line about the sorr! life of movie stars as he moves closer andcloser to herH

ell, e movie stars "et the "lor!# "uess e have to tae the little heartaches that "o ith it#


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/e "reets her a"ain ith sarcasmH ell, if it isn+t .thel Barr!moreJ Before she taes part in theentertainment, 'on dispara"es her actin" sill some moreH

do hope !ou+re "onna favor us ith somethin" special toni"ht# &a!, /amlet+s soliloFu!, or thebalcon! scene from#oeo and


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'onH +d lie to brea ever! bone in !our bod!#3inaH Aou and ho else, !ou bi" lummoxC

fter the! iss in the scene, she thins he must have some real feelin"s for her, but he confessesthat he is onl! actin"H

3inaH h, 'onn!J Aou couldn+t iss me lie that and not mean it %ust a teens!, eens! bitJ'onH Meet the "reatest actor in the orld# +d rather iss a tarantula#3inaH h, !ou don+t mean that#'onH don+t -- /e!, Eoe, brin" me a tarantula#

&uddenl!, &impson enters the set and announces that the studio is to shut don, to prepare tocatch up to the sensational sound revolution brou"ht on b! The


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'on is deli"hted and thrilled to see her a"ain, and maes his peace ith her, but he is ton"ue-tied ith ords# &o he sin"s and the! dance a love duet to"ether, Aou ere Meant for Me, inhich 'on declares his love for ath!# $he enchantin"l! romantic number is performed in thestaire-4o"ers tradition ?and similar to a scene in ell!+s onSuer Sto!7 (19"/)@# t is all anillusion, shot on an empt! studio sta"e here he has set the sta"e ith the proper settin"###consistin" of dramatic studio li"htin" and a ind machine# $o seduce her, he places her on a

stepladder (positionin" her lie


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actors and actresses durin" /oll!ood+s transition period faced similardis"race and ridicule and the loss of their careers, e#"#, Eohn Gilbert#@

'epressed b! the previe, fello conspirators 'on, *osmo and ath!discuss their problems later that dri>>l! evenin" durin" an all-ni"ht talsession# 'epressed, 'on confesses his shortcomin"s as an actor to

themH

'onH .ver!thin" !ou ever said about me is true, ath!# +m no actor# never as# Eust a lotta +dumb sho#+ no that no#*osmoH ell, at least !ou+re tain" it l!in" don#'onH 0o# 0o iddin", *osmo# 'id !ou ever see an!thin" as idiotic as meon that screen toni"htC*osmoH Aeah, ho about 3inaC'onH ll ri"ht# ran her a close second# Ma!be it as a photo finish#n!a!, +m throu"h, fellas#ath!H 'on, !ou+re not throu"hJ*osmoH h!, of course not# h!, ith !our loos and !our fi"ure, !oucould drive an ice a"on or shine shoesJ

ath!H Bloc hatsJ*osmoH &ell pencilsJ

ath!H 'i" ditchesJ*osmoH r orse still, "o bac into vaudeville#

$r!in" to salva"e the film and their careers, ath! and *osmo eventuall! come up ith abrilliant, novel idea - mae the disastrous costume film into a musical (in the next six eesbefore the film+s release)J

dd some son"s and dances, trim the bad scenes, add a couple of ne ones###

.ven thou"h it is 1H67 in the mornin" (not late evenin" March 26rd, but actuall! earl! mornin"

March 2th), the! burst into son" and tap-dancin" for Good Mornin", an upbeat number# t isperformed in the itchen and on furniture throu"hout the house, usin" props ever!here# $he!are %o!ousl! expressin" their relief over a perfect solution# But then 'on has a sudden fear - itcan+t be a musical because of 3ina# *osmo a"reesH

&he can+t act, she can+t sin", and she can+t dance, a triple threat#

But then, *osmo su""ests another brilliant solution - ath! ill dub 3ina+s voice as she lip-s!nchsH

ait a minute# +m %ust about to be brilliant# se ath!+s voice# 3ina %ust moves her mouth andath!+s voice comes over sin"in" and talin" for her#

'on ob%ects at firstH *ause !ou (ath!) ouldn+t be seen# Aou+d be throin" aa! !our oncareer# But 'on a"rees if it is onl! for one picture#

3ater that ni"ht, as 'on taes ath! home and isses her in the doora!, it is still rainin"# ftersa!in" "oodni"ht to her, she tells him to tae care of his health and throat in the +heav! de,+because he ill no be a "reat sin"in" star# 'on repliesH 4eall!C rom here stand, the sun isshinin" all over the place# 0aturall!, he has fallen in love ith ath! and he aves on his driverso he can proceed home on his on#

n a classic, heart-liftin", enchantin" dance scene durin" a cloudburst, he does a "lorious, almostfive minute performance of the title son" &in"in+ n the 4ain - a spontaneous expression of hiscra>!-in-love, euphoric mood and happiness over his ne-found love for ath!# $he title son"

has become movie le"end as the most famous dance number in merican film - and it is Geneell!+s finest solo performance ever, althou"h he as sufferin" from a 176 de"ree fever#


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?$his scene as shot on a studio baclot in *ulver *it!, *alifornia# t is ell-non that milas mixed in ith the ater, fed b! lon" len"ths of pipes leadin" to overhead spra!s, to maethe liFuid more visible# $he scene as a late addition to the script, in order to provide literal%ustification for the film+s title, and to ensure that the public ouldn+t feel cheated if the filmdidn+t have a +sin"in+ in the rain+ seFuence#@

*omposed of onl! ten distinct shots (ith a dissolve at its be"innin" - at the front door - and atits endin"), he strolls don the empt! to blocs of street in the rain passin" shop indos(includin" a


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s he points in the direction of the blacened pro%ection room screen, his tuxedoed ima"eappears on-sta"e# /e sin"s the ballet+s openin" son"H $he Broada! 4h!thm# "ainst animpressionistic bac"round of Broada! si"ns inspired b! the 1927s, 'on 3ocood is thenpresented as a "a!, bespectacled, naive +!oun" hoofer+ ho arrives on the Great hite a!ith his suitcase in hand, looin" for his bi" brea#

$he spectacular, ne musical balletic dance number traces his arrival in 0e Aor, here he"oes to a theatrical a"enc! and auditions (Gotta 'anceJ Gotta 'anceJ) but is re%ected b! toa"ents# third a"ent taes him to a speaeas! here he lands a %ob# /e is sin"in" and dancin"to Broada! 4h!thm hen, in an extraordinar! scene, a oman+s lon" shapel! le" appearsabruptl! on the screen, dan"lin" and balancin" the stra hat from his head on her upturnedfoot# /is e!es and the camera follo the le" up to the fi"ure of a seductive 'ancer (*!d*harisse), a "an"ster+s moll# /e meets the "irl of his dreams, a beautiful, beitchin" exoticni"htclub performer and cit! vamp, looin" lie vixenous silent star 3ouise Broos# ?n the?asde deu@ith *harisse, ell!+s ballet is a parod! and spoof of "an"ster movie conventions andfamiliar movie stars of the era#@

&he is earin" a short, "loriousl! sex! "reen dress, and has a lon" ci"arette holder in her hand#&he leaves the table here her silver dollar-flippin", scar-faced "an"ster bo!friend (resemblin"

actor Geor"e 4aft inS!ar'a!e The Shae o' the ation (19+)) sits ith to mu"s# &he dancesprovocativel! around him, shain" her hips and bloin" ci"arette smoe in his face# &heremoves his "lasses and hat, steams up the "lasses ith her breath and ipes them on her thi"h,and then ics aa! both his hat and "lasses# &he places her lon" ci"arette holder in his mouth#$he! continue dancin" sensuousl! close to"ether, and she be"ins to iss him# But she is luredaa! b! the si"ht of a thic, sparlin" diamond bracelet, held out b! her "an"ster bo!friend+shand#

$he !oun" dancer is not alloed to follo his dream "irl, althou"h he is ushered throu"h a sta"edoor to the *olumbia BurlesFue sta"e, here he soon rises to fame, becomin" a star of


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3inaH ant that "irl off the lot at once# &he ain+t "onna be m! voice# Ielda told me ever!thin"#'onH $hans, Ielda# Aou+re a real pal#IeldaH h, an! time, 'on#ath!H 0o loo, Miss 3amont, 'on and have###3ina (interruptin")H ($o ath!) 'onJ 'on+t !ou dare call him 'on# as callin" him 'on before!ou ere bornJ mean###

&he persists even after learnin" that the lovers plan to marr!# Because she %ealousl! re"ardsath! as the reason for the end of her romance (non-existent) ith 'on, she insists that ath!be ept off the lot and deprived of "ettin" full screen credit and publicit!# 3ina asserts, in thefamous linesH

Aou mean it+s "onna sa! up on the screen that don+t tal and sin" for m!selfC###$he! can+t dothatJ###$he! can+t mae a fool out of 3ina 3amont# $he! can+t mae a lau"hin" stoc out of 3ina3amont# hat do the! thin am, dumb or somethin"C h! mae more mone! than *alvin*oolid"e put to"ether#

$o retaliate, 3ina sends out exclusive publicit! stories to all the papers and "ossip columnists inton ('ora Baile!+s column in particular), Fuotin" the producer &impson as sa!in"H

Monumental ement, there is ath! at a microphone behind


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3ina, sin"in" the l!rics# $he audience reacts h!stericall!, reali>in" that 3ina+s vocal talents reall!belon" to ath!#

?$he raisin" of the curtain to expose the illusion recalls a similar scene in The $i=ard o' O=(199)# ronicall!, some of ath! &elden+s son"s are thesel&esdubs - the inexperienced, 19!ear-old in"enue 'ebbie 4e!nolds+ sin"in" voice as dubbed b! Bett! 0o!es in ould AouC

and probabl! for Aou re M! 3uc! &tar#@

*osmo steps in for ath!, sin"in" in his baritone voice, as 3ina continues the masFuerade outfront# hen she reali>es she has been exposed, 3ina is lau"hed off the sta"e# &he rushes off,tain" a hast! exit# &o does ath! - up the theatre aisle#

'on ants the audience to no that it as ath! hose voice the! applauded that ni"ht# nsta"e, he announcesH

3adies and Gentlemen# &top that "irl# $hat "irl runnin" up the aisle - stop her# $hat+s the "irlhose voice !ou heard and loved toni"ht# &he+s the real star of the picture# ath! &elden#

$he audience applauds ath! and convinces her to stop# 'on starts to sin" to herH Aou re M!3uc! &tar# ith tears in her e!es, ath! turns and als toard the sta"e# /e approaches andreaches out to her and leads her onsta"e, as the! finish sin"in" to"ether and embrace# ath! isfinall! appreciated as a star in her on ri"ht#

profile of the ri"ht side of 'on+s face dissolves into the same ima"e durin" a clever transitioninto the last scene# s the camera pulls bac, ath! and 'on are pictured facin" each other on abillboard that announces them as the ne stellar love team of Monumental

Singin in the rain.doc

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