Rating: 
Summary: Great Film - Lousy DVD
Review: Classic film. No one can dispute that. So why are there virually no extras on a DVD of the greatest movie musical ever made? Why are there no bios on anyone associated with the film? Why does the color for the first half of the film look like faded Technicolor? Why did the studio not choose to take the time or spend the money needed to digitally restore the film that was spent on Sound of Music or My Fair Lady? OK. It would cost more, but fans of this movie would be willing to pay for it, and all the other wonderful MGM movies musical of the 50s. ...Give us the extras - let us know the story of the movie, produce a feature length documentary, give us the re-mixed isolated soundtrack, do something besides this. Correct the color, and remix the ST in DTS. Package in in a two DVD set and charge me 30 bucks. I'd buy it. But the current release version is a real disappointment. The singin', dancin', and actin' in this film deserve better.
Rating: 
Summary: A True Hollywood Musical Classic!
Review: Singin' in the Rain is a top notch classic musical, filled with great music & performances. The most surprising & suberb performance though would have to be Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont, whose annoyingly screechy voice & snobiness earned her an Oscar nomination for 'Best Supporting Actress.' The film is set in 1927, when silent movies rule, & the romantic film duo of Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) & Lina Lamont (Hagen) are the biggest stars there are. The two keep viewers in a fairy tale of romance in their films & in their 'real romance,' but little do their fans know that their little romance is really just for publicity & that Don can't stand the self centered Lina. While driving to a party Don & his best friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Conner), which is the pianoist on the set of Don's movies, recieve a flat tire. In the process of fixing it Lockwood is surronded by screaming fans & in escape, Don happens to land in the car of Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds.)Kathy, an aspiring young stage actress, tells off the actor & Don does the same. Kathy & Don eventually fall in love causing jealousy with Lina when she finds of their romance & that, while the studio is converting to talking pictures, Kathy is to dub Lina's voice in the upcoming Lockwood & Lamont musical "The Dancing Cavalier." The film features such memerable songs as "Good Morning," "The Broadway Melody," & the title song.
Rating:
Summary: A Smile on My Face!
Review: "Singing in the Rain" is a moment of pure joy captured on film. I can never get over the look on Gene Kelly's face when he sings that classic line. It make me smile along with him everytime. This has got to be one of the happiest movies I have seen. Not silly or funny or goofy (well, there is a little bit of that), but just plain happy. Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds are excellent as three chums hatching a plan. These three conspirators want to save the silent movie dud "The Dueling Cavalier" by changing it into a musical. The roadblock to their success is the spoiled starlet, Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen, nominated for Best Supporting Actress for this role) who's squeaky voice and lack of talent are set to tank the picture. The plot, while fun, takes second place to the astounding musical numbers. "Good Morning, Good Mo-r-ning, We've talked the whole night though, Good Morning, Good Morning to you." (one of my favorites). "Make 'em Laugh" does just that, with Donald O'Connor strutting his vaudeville stuff. "Broadway Melody" (also known as "Gotta Dance") is a mesmerizing duet with Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse . That particular piece is studied in dance history courses and considered a major work of American dance. But at the end, it all comes down to "Singing in the Rain." What a wonderful thing, watching Gene Kelly splashing around in the puddles. Happiness caught on film.
Rating: 
Summary: A pity the DVD doesn't have the EXTRAS that are available!
Review: I have the "40th Anniversary edition" video tape of this great movie, released in 1992 (in Australia at least), which features (along with the theatrical trailer), a deleted sequence of Debbie Reynolds singing "You Are My Lucky Star" and reminiscences from writers Betty Comden and Adolph Green (which are wonderful!). The lack of these is the only reason I'm taking a star off my rating for the DVD. The film is suberb (and sounds and looks great on DVD)
Rating:
Summary: A timeless and priceless classic
Review: I first saw this movie when I was five years old, my parents bought it, along with Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, when they bought our first VCR. Ever since, I have watched this movie countless times and have never tired of it. My mother and I practically have all the lines memorized by now. Gene Kelly is brilliant, funny and wonderful as Don Lockwood, the silent film actor who has the attention of every girl in America. Jean Hagen plays the woman he romances in all his movies, who is known more for her looks than her voice. Donald O Connor is absolutely hilarious as Lockwood's best friend and composer, Cosmo Brown. Debbie Reynolds completes the cast as a chorus girl, Kathy Seldon, who makes Lockwood take a good look at himself. The songs are unforgettable from "Fit as a Fiddle" to "Would You" (By the way, Jean Hagen doesn't sing for Reynolds in "Would You", it's a girl named Betty Noyes). I especially love the number that Kelly and O Connor do together, Moses, and one that I will not forget is You Were Meant for Me. Cid Charisse did a cameo appearance in the Broadway Melody Ballet number, and was gracefull and excellent, as she usuall is. Did anyone recognize Kathleen Freeman as Lina's voice teacher? Don't be left out in the rain with this one.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best musicals ever made.
Review: Singin' in the Rain is justifiably acknowledged to be one of the greatest musicals ever made. There's little to add to the highly-deserved praise contained in the other comments posted here. I would, however, like to draw attention to a beautiful little song in this movie that is generally overlooked: "Would You." It's a shame that this wonderful little song has never established a place of its own outside this delightful movie. But, hey, if you're going to get lost, this movie is a wonderful place to do so.
Rating:
Summary: Error
Review: The song in "The Pirate" is Cole Porter's "Be A Clown," not "Make 'em Laugh." The two are similar, but Arthur Freed wrote "Make 'em Laugh." That part of the information below is incorrect. Video Annotation Many of the dance sequences are an homage to Busby Berkeley musicals. The song "Make 'Em Laugh" was originally used in the film "The Pirate." Color by Technicolor. Additional credit: Wally Heglin (score orchestrator). The Voyager/Criterion CAV laserdisc (CC1152L) includes: Original versions of songs performed by other singers An audio commentary by Ron Haver The original theatrical trailer --This text refers to another version of this video.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best films ever made...
Review: The caption above simply says it all. I don't know what more can be said, and even if I did, I don't know that I would be able to find the words to say/write it. I love this film. I can watch it anytime, but I'll tell you the best time watch this film: Very late at night/very early in the morning--depending on your perspective. After all the hustle of the day has passed you by, and, perhaps, after you have had a very enjoyable, but tiresome, dinner party. Turn the lights off, save one light w/ dimmer abilities and slip into something comfortable. Climb into your soft leather sofa (or favorite comfy chair), and watch this movie. It is so nice, and so perfect, for winding down and bringing on a TREMENDOUS amount of warmth and nostalgia. Interestingly, the same is true of "Roman Holiday" with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. And, to go further back, the same is particularly true with ANY of the "Road to" movies with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Get this film, and check out the others I've mentioned. You will love it (them).
Rating:
Summary: Hollywood Musicals 101
Review: Singin' in the Rain is an interesting movie because not only is it a musical, a comedy, but a history lesson, that includes a love story. Because of these qualities, Singin' is different from many previous musical movies making it entertaining without being obvious that this is a Hollywood 101 class. It is very unusual in that MGM makes fun of itself as a film company, and the top star Don Lockwood played by Gene Kelly also gives it the Hollywood touch by reminiscing not quite truthfully, that it was pure talent that brought him to the Chinese Theater, not pure luck. Because of the humor the film is easily digested, without a laugh or two, Singin' would have been too long drawn out for the average audience such as myself to sit through without fidgeting. In this movie we have all the typical characters that make up a film. Jean Hagen's character Lina Lamont is played perfectly as the dumb blonde because of her weakness of mastering the English language, but she is not quite so silly as we expect, when she realizes the value of lawyers and her contract. In this character we can see Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and Carol Lombard They were not so dumb but on the other hand I don't think they had much to say when it came to controlling their parts or their lives. I believe John Gilbert was a victim of sound. After all his swashbuckling activities on the screen, he rapidly became unfavorable because of his squeaky voice that didn't match up to his masculine roles. Although the film is a musical comedy, this history lesson on the transition of silent movies to sound, is very interesting and although slightly exaggerated is not far from the truth. On the other hand looking at films that were made before sound such as those starring Charlie Chaplin, it took a lot of talent to affect the audience, they either cried or were angry leaving the cinema and that was without microphones. Looking back to the time that Singin' is portrayed, late twenties, with the very clever but crude way they recorded sound and its playback, it must have been very exciting visiting the cinema then. It's understandable why musicals were so popular because mainly the seats were inexpensive compared to attending an opera, a West End, or Broadway extravaganza. In those days cinemas were cozy with thick carpeting and comfy seats, not composite plastic, and of course the refreshments and cigarettes being served during the intermission gave one something to look forward to. I noticed that they didn't go short on the makeup in this film, Gene Kelly hardly has a wrinkle and in 1952 he was forty years old. Being the director, dancer, choreographer, and actor he had the power to make himself as young as he wanted to be. I don't know how tall he was but I don't believe he was taller than Fred Astaire, and granted Kelly is a terrific dancer he isn't as smooth and easy looking as Astaire. One trick they play in this film to make him look longer, he is dressed in short jackets or pullovers that hardly fall below his waistline making his lower body more sleeker, Fred didn't need this special effect. It seems strange now, but when they did make silent films as shown in Singin', the cast and crew were able to carry on a conversation, the director shouting out instructions, move props around, and serve refreshments while the film was being recorded, a very casual approach in those days. All in all Singin' is a film that will still be popular in this new century. It represents a very well thought out movie, it stars very talented people, Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Cyd Charrise, and Jean Hagen who plays her part perfectly, and it is an icon when one thinks of a Hollywood musical, especially Gene's Singin' and Dancing in the Rain routine. Although Malcolm MacDowell in Clockwork Orange does take some beating, literally.
Rating:
Summary: This fantastic film deserves better
Review: Singin' in the Rain is one of my favorite films, though I am not a fan of musicals. It is not only a celebration of singing, dancing, Gene Kelly, and vaudeville antics, it is a celebration of the medium of film. Though it was made at a time when Hollywood was famous for its rigid and creativity-stifling production practices, Singin' in the Rain is remembered as a landmark of innovation and style. Despite this being both one of the greatest and one of the most popular films of all time, MGM (and now Warner) has released it as a sub-par dvd. It lacks any real special features (except for the trailer), though I imagine there are a number of documentaries and perhaps interviews about the film, and certainly many qualified film historians that would have been willing to record a commentary track. The image quality is lacking. This is the worst-looking dvd that I own from a major studio (Warner hasn't remastered for the rerelease). It is exceptionally soft, and digital artifacting abounds. The colors are off, and the print could certainly be cleaned up. It was probably duped from a laserdisc. This film would truly benefit from a restoration and re-release (like some of Hitchcock's films have gotten). If you love the movie, by all means buy the disc, but if you own the VHS or Laserdisc copy (that isn't all worn out), I'd hold out for a special edition, because the dvd won't look any better than a laserdisc, and not that much better than VHS. What a fantastic film.
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