Home :: DVD :: Musicals & Performing Arts  

Ballet & Dance
Biography
Broadway
Classical
Documentary
General
Instructional
Jazz
Musicals
Opera
World Music
Singin' in the Rain

Singin' in the Rain

List Price: $24.98
Your Price:
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 .. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 .. 23 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: NOTE TO ALL GUYS: Buy this.
Review: SINGIN' IN THE RAIN owns you. First off, Gene Kelly is Jackie Chan. Oh, sure, "Jackie Chan's Chinese, dude." Gene Kelly and Jackie Chan - if they ever fought, man, I couldn't tell you who'd win. Sure, he's got rhythm. Sure, he, erm, sings. And anyone who has seen Gene in motion can see him influence even the martial artist/actors of today. He just makes dancing COOL. And I defy anyone to see the title sequence and not just through out a joyous laugh, easily one of the most famous and greatest dance scenes in films ever.

Donald O'Connor is a very funny man. Make 'em laugh, indeed...

Oh yeah, the DVD looks beautiful too, for those movie geeks, like me. Great transfer, great package. Let me tell you, I've watched this thing 7 times sine I bought it, and I'm already itching to see it again.

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. Yes, a musical. Guys, get it. Your girl will be appreciative. And if she's not, she ain't worth being with, let me tell you. This things' pure joy in 2 hours.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Great Film, TERRIBLE EDITION
Review: "Singin' in the Rain" is one of my favorite films, and I am in good company with that opinion -- everyone from Roger Ebert to Francois Truffaut has rated the film in their top ten. So why such shoddy treatment in this "Special Edition"?? 95% of the "commentary" is audio cribbed from the documentaries on Disk 2 (did they think we wouldn't watch both?) and the other 5% is Baz Lurhmann promoting his own films. While brilliance is floating across the screen, the commentary treats us to such prescient details as the flower preference of the producer (orchids) and how one of the minor actors in the film felt about Clark Gable (loved him very much). Since neither orchids nor Clark Gable have anything to do with this extremely influential film classic, couldn't we have given those comments a miss? As a huge fan of this film, I bought the edition knowing a fair amount about the making of and history surrounding it -- if it is possible, I left this viewing of the film with "commentary" actually knowing less. Give this edition a miss and buy a cheaper one. (Added note: another person has complained about the aspect ratio being altered -- in fact, Singin' in the Rain was NOT shot in "Cinemascope" and has been transferred with the full picture intact. See? Now THAT'S the sort of stuff they should have mentioned in the commentary!)

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great Sound--only 2/3 of the picture.
Review: Why anyone would release the greatest screen musical of all time in full screen format is a mystery to me. Singin' In The Rain is everything you've ever heard it is....but to have 1/3 cut off such a spectacular piece of art is just criminal. Rent this one until they decide to let you have it all.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Rain Down On Me
Review: Singin' In The Rain is a landmark musical. Gene Kelly was riding high after his An American In Paris had just won the 1951 Best Picture Oscar and he and director Stanley Donan hit all the right notes. The film's plot revolves around the difficult transition the film industry had moving from silent films to talkies. Mr. Kelly is Don Lockwood who a dashing leading man who has become a star starring alongside the gorgeous Lina Lamont. On the silent screen Lina knows how to strike all the right poses, but when she is making her first talkie, it is discovered that she has a shrill, screechy voice akin to nails on a blackboard. Lina is played brilliantly by Jean Hagen who was the only cast member to score an Academy Award nomination (in the Best Supporting Actress category). Donald O'Conner plays Don's best friend Cosmo and Debbie Reynolds plays his love interest Kathy who in the end voices Lina's parts and is revealed as the true star of the film. The movie's real highlights are the songs. "Make 'Em Laugh", "Broadway Melody" which features the sultry Cyd Charrise, the brilliant "Good Morning" and of the title track which is one of the most famous and indelible screen images of all time with Mr. Kelly putting on the dance number of his career.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I know this is blasphemy, but.........
Review: I don't think Singin In the Rain is the greatest musical of all time. Please don't misunderstand my point of view! I love the movie, and I highly recommend the DVD to any fan of movie musicals. I think SITR is extremely funny and witty, tuneful, and just an all round joy to watch. It's a real feel good movie. But there are a couple of things about it that will always irk me. While the Brown & Freed songs are all first rate, the two songs written for the film are weak, and we all know how much Make Em Laugh is a ... of the far superior Be A Clown. I also think the Broadway Melody ballet sticks out like a sore thumb, and slows the movie down. Its completely inappropriate. I've always felt it was a poor excuse to insert a ballet into the film ala American In Paris (where the ballet worked completely). ...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Timeless One
Review: The freqently used quote "They don't make movies like this anymore" truthfully applies to this classic. It really is classic Hollywood and you will never find another experience like it in the whole of the motion picture history.
The shear simplicity of the story and the wasy it unfoldes in a true tribute to the genius of Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. How they could pull off the movie this well is amazing because it seems impossible. The script is exceptional with great on-liners in both love and comedy being thrown from everywhere and everyone in the film.
The acting is nothing short of brilliant as well. Which is a suprise considering this is a musical and the satrs are usually picked for their ability to sing and dance. Kelly is great to watch as high-roller movie star Don Lockwood, whilst Donald O'Conner is equally as good as his best friend Cosmo Brown. Debbie Reynolds does well as the subborn dame Kathy Seldon but the real credit must go to Jean Hagen who is exceptional as Lina Lamont. She makes you feel sympathetic for but at the same repulsed by her chractor. The voice change is dramatic and I think it shows the true story with alot of silent film with not exactly glamourous voices.
Anyone who has seen this movie would say that the songs are the true stars of the movie and it's true. Still with so much hype surrounding them nowdays they still do not dissapoint even veteran viewers. "Singin'In The Rain" is the obvious choice for most memorable. It's the number that everybody knows and can sing along to. "Good Morning" is another classic with an absolutly outstanding extended dance sequence from the three main stars. O' Conner's number "Make 'Em Laugh" is a riot with the agile star doing just about everything you though was possible....and then some, with his face and body. The highlight of the film for me was the "Moses" song and dance from O'Conner and Kelly inside the diction coaches office. It is a delight to watch and will be sure to have you grinning for hours afterwards. And no musical would be complete without a handfull of ballards which get the emotions flowing, and the love songs here do just that.
Overall, "Singin' In The Rain" should be a must for your collection.
Please Note: It was voted #10 on the AFI's list of the hundred greatest American movies ever.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the all-time greats
Review: Singin' in the Rain is considered by many (including myself) to be the best musical ever made. A pleasure from start to finish, it is actually more than a great musical...it is a great movie. Small wonder it ranks on the AFI list of best movies as number 10 and also finishes in the AFI top twenty for comedies and romances.

Is it a perfect movie? Well, that may be saying too much, but I can't think of a single flaw. Even the Broadway Melody/Gotta Dance sequence which I used to think was overly long as a kid now seems as great as the rest of the movie. But my single favorite scene (and I doubt I'm far from alone here) is Gene Kelly dancing and singing the title song.

I don't want to overly hype the movie and create unrealistic expectations, but I do think this can be enjoyed by almost anyone; although fifty years old, it is still as fresh as anything made today.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best "Special Edition" DVD yet released! SPECTACULAR!
Review: What happens when you take the greatest film musical of all time and pull out all the stops to make the greatest "special edition" DVD yet released? It's Warner Home Video's new 50th Anniversary edition of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. If you have the old DVD, you can use it for a coaster on your coffee table. This new remastering is so far superior, it's staggering. Unbelievable sharpness and clarity, with hues and colors that bring out the essence of the original 3-Strip Technicolor photography. The sound is also greatly improved.

The film itself is such a brilliant, timeless satire, that it will likely never seem "dated". It was produced and created with such intelligence, wit, and taste, that it never fails to grab audiences of all ages. If you're one of the few that hasn't ever seen this film, BUY THIS DELUXE EDITION! You won't regret it. If you have already "seen the film", you will find this remastering job a revelation, and you will see and hear things you never heard before.

The extras are quite special, too. The documentary about the making of the film is beautifully done, and tells you everything you want to know about how it all came together. A longer, 1996 documentary made by Turner about producer Arthur Freed is really entertaining and informative as well. What's really fascinating is how dingy the clips of SINGIN' look in the old docu as opposed to this new transfer. Also included are tons of other goodies including all the recording session material, the one surviving outtake of Debbie Reynolds singing YOU ARE MY LUCKY STAR (it is explained in the documentary that this is the ONLY outtake number that has survived!) and a lively commentary by many of the stars and creative team.

All this for an incredibly low price makes this, hands down, the best DVD special edition ever produced. Hats off to Warner Brothers!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's not widescreen - stop whining!
Review: Hello out there. SITR was filmed in 1951, about four years before Cinemascope ("The Robe" being the first). I'm surprised you movie afficianados didn't know that.

So enjoy that it perfectly fills your 4-3 TV screen with nothing missing.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What Can I Say...
Review: ...that hasn't already been said about "Singin' in the Rain"? It's marvelously entertaining, wonderfully witty and refreshingly literate. Suffice to say, it's a must-see, even for those who are avowed musical-comedy-haters. And in the newly restored version, the sound and visuals REALLY pop.

Note to reviewer Jan: they didn't release a letterboxed edition, because it wasn't filmed in widescreen! "Singin' in the Rain" was made over a year before Twentieth Century Fox introduced the CinemaScope process and ushered in the widescreen era.


<< 1 .. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 .. 23 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates