Make 'Em Laugh

I finally managed to make it to a film screening, and I must admit, it was a lot better than I thought it would be. Even though we watched Sunset Blvd. in the first group cinema session, and I found it highly enjoyable, I can't seem to shake the dread that surrounds me when I'm about to watch a motion picture from past decades. Before last Thursday, the only thing that I knew about Singin' in the Rain, the selection for that week, was that it was a musical. Gasp! Dread! Run away! I can't say that I didn't enjoy the movie though and, if given the chance, I'd probably watch it again. (Don't tell anyone).

The musical and dance numbers were pretty exaggerated and came off as rediculous and overdone sometimes, but they weren't corny like most other movies I have been forced to sit through. It is rare to see a movie that uses it's theatrical numbers to elaborate on and help advance the plot and develop characters. I enjoyed the step away from the norm.

It is odd to watch a film about a movement in film cinema that many of us have never even thought about. Apart from small gradual transitions to things like DVDs and HD motion pictures, our generation hasn’t experienced anything that completely revolutionized the film industry in the way that sound altered film making in the 1920s. I’m not sure whether I would have liked the film to portray the subject in a realistic sense, or use the exaggeration, comedic approach that makes Singin’ in the Rain so memorable. For a while after the film had ended, I was still trying to decide whether terrible films like The Dueling Cavalier were ever created. Did directors and stars really struggle that much incorporating sound into the film making process? Were there instances of heart beats and other outrageous things slipping into serious films during the transition period?

I don’t believe that the directors could have found better actors to fill the roles on this film. When I think about classic movies, I think about the “big” star; that guy on the screen with the seemingly constant close ups and million dollar smile. Gene Kelley’s comedic portrayal of the classic era ego was both memorable and captivating. Donald O’Connor’s performances were so amazingly choreographed that I never wanted to see them end. I do believe that I could have spent the entire duration of the class time watching Cosmo tap dance around and fall over props and scenery. Debbie Reynolds possesses an uncommon amount of beauty, even by today’s plastic and processed standards. Her acting was powerful and subtle to the point that I actually missed her when she was absent from the shot. I still can’t decide whether I like the movie because of the actors, or like the actors because of the roles they played. Either way, I came out the winner in the situation.

I’d have to say that, so far, this class is two for two on the movie selections. Keep up the good work on selections guys.