Singin' in the Rain Assignment

What I found very interesting about this film is the direct relationship between Hollywood and reality. With Donald doing all of the talking at the premiere, the woman didn't have to say a word. When they went behind stage, she was very annoyed and everyone could see why she wasn't doing any of the talking. She had a very annoying voice and wasn't very smart. This shows how in real life, Hollywood can make a star based off of image alone. Her real personality had nothing to do with it. I also thought that the vibrant colors in the film really stood out and brought the film to life. There is a good contrast between the colors and what emotions are being conveyed in the scene. The composition of each scene is somewhat abstract and brilliant with its design and is unlike and other composition of film in that era. The fact that the film itself is exploring the development of movies with sound is interesting since that is was we are watching.

Creating a successful musical film is rare. Let's be honest - Grease 2? Painful. Movie musicals can easily bee overly corny, but in Singin' in the Rain, the corniness is part of the charm. The colorful dance numbers are almost surreal. The dances are not simply dances, but true pieces of unique art. During a musical number, the camera focuses less on a single, central character than it does the entire company, which establishes a real Broadway feel. I also like how the actors are chosen based off of their raw talent and not their personalities. There is the air headed blonde, obviously, and the smarter contributions. Normal intelligence is not necessary in gaining artistic success, but rather creativity and the ability to take risks.

This film is particularly interesting to me because of the way it incorporates music within the actual plot. Musical films today are so predictable in the sense that we know when a musical number is coming. Not in this film, however. The way a musical number flows with the rest of the film and plot is phenomenal. The use of embedding musical numbers successfully in films is an art, and this film captures it perfectly. It is an art, however, that films today have lost. Musical films today are too predictable versus in this film the musical numbers flow with the actual plot of the film.

I thought it was interesting how the tabloids make it seem as if the hollywood couple were engaged when in reality they are not romantically involved. Lina apparently buys into the hype however don clearly does not. I feel this strongly reflects the reality of how tabloids, and any new outlet for that matter, possesses such strong influence on everyday life.

I really felt that it was interesting that the plot of "Singing in the Rain" is based around the struggles of actors transitioning from the world of silent film into the new era of sound. I feel as though because we have watched and discussed several silent films I had a greater understanding and appreciation for this idea. There is also irony in the fact that the actual film is another type of film altogether, a musical, which in no doubt would also bring up issues to actors. The musical elements are combined with the plot in such a way that the viewer is able to almost forget that what they are watching is in fact a musical, which I feel shows the true artistic nature behind this film.

The relationship between people in hollywood seems to be strictly business related until Kathy Selden, the less famous actress, is brought onto the set. Her focus does not seem to be only on business but also the relationships with the other actors. I am interested to see if her focus becomes more corrupted. In the beginning she seemed to be very intelligent but so far as she has become more accepted into hollywood she has filled more of the roll as a "damsel in distress".

The choreography and the use of music together is fantastic in this film. The director does an exceptional job of syncing his dancers/actors together as one when they are dancing together, which is not an easy task. Also, the way in which the music works perfectly with the choreography is amazing. The dancers being synced together as one is exceptional and it flows with the film perfectly. If the director did not do a successful job with both of these works of art, the film would have seemed chunked and not flowing at all. Luckily, this was not the case.

I am enjoying the type of comedy displayed within the choreography and in the general film as a whole. It is much different from what you see today. I'm sure it is because the actors, as you said, we're brought up in variety shows which were all about this kind of slap stick comedy. You can tell that everyone in this film is truly talented. Nowadays it is as if people are given film roles based on their status as a celebrity as opposed to their actual talent. For this reason I feel that Singin in the Rain is a very enjoyable and genuine film to watch.

I am finding "Singing in the Rain" more enjoyable the more we watch it. In the segment of the film we most recently watched I had a much better understanding for the personas of the individual characters as each was expanded upon to give the audience a slightly better idea of their personalities. The musical segments of the film are very well done. When the two men are speaking with the speech coach, I thought the way in which they began slowly singing, then slowly breaking into a full musical number was very well done, and I felt as though the relatively slow buildup led to an anticipation of the full routine, which was rewarded fantastically.

I think that it is interesting that they start the movie without letting Lena talk at all. The audience is given only her appearance to form an opinion on. She is glamorous and beautiful. No one seems to notice that Don does all of the talking for the both of them. To the audience, they look like the perfect Hollywood couple. Lena goes off stage after their premiere and talks for the first time. It is very funny that her voice is high pitched and annoying because it doesn't fit her personality at all. I think it is interesting that the film itself can show how stereotypical Hollywood can be, when itself is made in Hollywood. There are lots of themes shown through the music and choreography. The camera angle when Don is "singing in the rain" seems to spin as if it were his own dancing partner. When Kathy is on the ladder, Don is looking up at her because he admires her as he is singing. I also thought it was funny that he wants to be in the right "setting" to confess his feelings for Kathy because he ends up going onto a Hollywood set, which is about as fake as it can get. He uses the ladder as a balcony, and the backdrop as a sunset. A spot light for moonlight, and smoke for a mist coming from a distant mountain top. He creates a fantasy world that replaces the real world, just as Hollywood does with its celebrities.

I am impressed with the commerciality of this film. It revels in the nature of mercantilism and the pleasure and success of Hollywood films. The filming delves into the making of a film and the nature of success and how people will do anything to succeed. The entire purpose of the film was changed, from a serious film to a musical. The determination of the director to direct a pleasurable film is seen when he spins off the reactions of the viewers. I also find the cinematography during the dancing and singing scenes quite spectacular. I loved when they were at the speech pathologist and the men burst into dancing. It was adorable, and the dancing was brilliant. I feel like they are expressing their personal feelings and freedom through their dancing. Since the actors are being told by the actor how to act, they feel that with their dancing they can express themselves. Their dancing is their fantasy, they belief that the world is okay and that they will succeed, just like the hope that the film will succeed. The recreation of a fantasy is the embodiment of a movie, a fake reality, essentially the definition of Hollywood.

"Singin' in the Rain" is mostly only for entertainment but there is still some culture issues that are seen in the film. At the time there was a lot of conflict between silent films and the newer, more mysterious films with sound. Kelly creates a musical to entertain the people at such a critical time but he also demonstrates the corruption of Hollywood. He is showing the viewer that Hollywood is not perfect and that people should not idealize everything that they see. Actors and actresses seem to be godlike or worshiped throughout the movie but there is much conflict between different actors as well as there is conflict between the actors and the producers.

I was in love with the synchronization of the dancing at the agencies. It was on point. The entertaining factor of the movie is surely there. I find the conflict between the two actress, well, if you could call the horrid singer an actress, very interesting. The one with the squeaky voice is appalled on the stage when they reveal the true one. The panning of the camera is interesting as it follows the true actor up the aisle. I find the zoom and the closeup of her tears very dramatic and personal. The personal interests of the actors are highlighted through their facial expressions, the only thing a director can truly change within an actor.

This has definitely been my favorite movie we've watched so far. Perhaps it's the fact that it's an upbeat musical with incredible dancing numbers, or maybe it's because each time I left class, I found myself in a significantly more joyful mood than before. First of all, I was notably intrigued with the Broadway dance number (Gotta Dance?). I not only found myself partially entranced, but I felt like I was watching a live mixture of every Broadway play I've seen (which, I may add, is a rather large number). The mix of colors and variety of people illustrate the mixture of characters that Broadway offers. Broadway, or music alone, brings light, color, and happiness into people's lives. For example, during the Great Depression, Broadway really took off because people attended shows in order to escape from reality. The dance number begins with a spotlight on Gene Kelly. Aside from the small beam of light, he is surrounded by darkness. The darkness represents mystery, or the secrets and plots waiting to become exposed. Then, in the blink of an eye, the lights come up and the set is revealed. The stories begin to unfold. Hollywood is about creating fantasy, and that fantasy can be created through a plethora of ways. In the dance number, there are three separate story lines that make up the montage. I'm not going to lie: I'm listening to the soundtrack as I type my blog comment and I'm already feeling a bit happier than I was on the fifteen minute ride home from show choir. Yes, the film demonstrates how Hollywood can be deceiving, but I find the hopeful messages (like music's release from reality or how dancing is a language that is felt instead of spoken, as shown in the ladder scene between Don and Kathy) to be the most important. In my opinion, creating a happy musical comedy (with a dash of romance, of course) is more impressive (and requires more skill) than making a heavy thematic drama.

These are the best comments about this film of any class that I've taught. You analyses of character, comedy, camera use, music, color, structure, dancing, Hollywood, fantasy, and reality are excellent.