Singin' in the Rain

Rating:
Summary: 'Rain' reigns as year's best
Review: "Singin' in the Rain," the favorite Hollywood musical of just about every movie critic who matters, comes splish-splashing back in a splendid 50th anniversary DVD edition.

Anyone still on the fence about getting a copy of this vividly restored gem can get their feet tapping on down to the software shop: This is one of the year's best DVD packages, quite possibly the best.

Warner's two-disc special edition features significant improvements over the images on its 2000 DVD. The older disc had its charms in a Good Guys kind of way - especially the cartoon-like Technicolor images on the fantasy dance sequences -- but suffered from major speckling and flatness. The new version, from restored elements, removes virtually all signs of wear and delivers the ever-changing color schemes with authority.

Viewers don't have to wait long to see the upgrades. Check out the shot of the aging fan at 2:14 and of star Gene Kelly at 9:35: Flesh tones look perfect and contrasts are rock solid; just amazing for a film made in 1951. Or the men's tuxedos and white shirts not long after that. Further proof: take a look at the Vixen's stockings in chapter 30 -- there's plenty of detail over the vast geography of Cyd Charisse's legs.

As with the older DVD, the film comes full screen (1.33:1). The remastered 5.1 Dolby Digital sounds fine, conservative in its surround mix -- it's basically all up front. Viewers may want to see if they prefer the original mono track.

Two contrasting documentaries anchor the extras.

"Musicals, Great Musicals: The Arthur Freed Unit at MGM," from 1998, tells the story of the legendary musicals maker and his "untouchable" stable of song and dance talent. Producer Freed, a longtime songwriter, wanted "integrated musicals," in which the tunes no longer popped up out of nowhere, but served the plot. Freed, says Charisse, "changed the look of musicals -- suddenly we're not old-fashioned looking any more." Stanley Donen, the co-director with Kelly of "Singin' in the Rain," says of Freed: "He wanted to do something quite remarkable. He didn't approach it as if he were going to blow up the system." "Singin' in the Rain" came somewhat near the end of Freed's remarkable career and is one of the best expressions of his uplifting, upbeat aesthetic.

The new "What a Glorious Feeling" making-of featurette has a nice breezy tone, but is far less ambitious than the Freed docu. It trots out some fun trivia: Kelly's iconic "Singin' in the Rain" solo wasn't in the original script; Judy Holliday suddenly became too famous for the squeaky actress part then memorably played by Jean Hagen; Oscar Levant had the Donald O'Connell role but couldn't handle the dance parts. There is a great clip of Kelly's stunt double leaping from a bus into a jalopy on the Sunset Boulvevard scene. "Rain" love interest Debbie Reynolds hosts the piece and seems right if quite fluffy.

Less successfully, Reynolds introduces the often-awkward audio commentary pieced together from interviews with key surviving talent and commentators. The speakers' comments come in at appropriate times, but they are not reacting to the film as it unspools, as has become customary. The DVD set has a lot of duplication, so some of the audio clips will sound familiar if you've been through the other features.

Rating:
Summary: 'Oh, Pierre...!'
Review: One of my all-time favourites. Funny no matter how many times you've seen it.
'Yes, yes, yes!' 'NO, NO, NO!'
'Oh, Pierre, you SHOULDN'T have come!'

Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: i think Singin' in the Rain is the best musical ever! everyone should see it. its funny, has a great plot, and a fabulous cast. I've seen it atleast ten times now, and i still love it, i could honestly watch it over and over again.

Rating:
Summary: About the Special Edition
Review: Okay. I'll dispense with a review of the film, because most of us (I hope) already agree that this is simply a classic.

Let me begin by simply saying I'm SO happy Warner's have chosen to produce a special edition DVD to mark the 50th anniversary of the film. It's one of those releases that reminds you just how superior the potential of the DVD format is.

Right, the extras: They're good. In fact, they're great. The new interview material is so nice to see, especially seeing as most of the people who worked on the film are passed away or very old. The only person missing I would have liked to see was Rita Morena (Zelda Zanders), but everyone else is there, including archive footage of the much-missed Gene Kelly and Jean Hagen.

I should warn you that the commentary is not a screen-specific commentary, but one of those disappointing audio commentaries comprising audio interviews. Still, it's a minor quibble.

The transfer and the sound quality a very evry nice indeed, although I've been watching this film for so long, I almost wish it wasn't in 5.1! I got used to the Mono. Oh, and just in case you might think this Fullscreen presentation is poor, as some other reviewers seem to think, then please know that this film was not made in widescreen. Cinemascope and the other wide formats were not introduced until the year after this film was shot.

All the other extras are evry interesting, including the feature length documentary on Arthur Freed and the MGM years. It's very interesting, and very nostalgic.

Oh, look. Just buy it! You'll be happy with it, I'm sure. I just hope Warners and the others continue to go back to the classics in their vaults and give them this kind of treatment, if for nothing more than posterity.

(5 stars)

Rating:
Summary: Singin' in the Rain is a wonderful blast of Color!
Review: A Wonderful Blast of Color from everyone in it. Gene Kelly is marvelous a silent-film actor who, with the help of his friends (Donald O' Connor and Debbie Reynolds), makes his silent-film, The Dueling Cavalier, into a morden musical, The Dancing Cavalier. The only problam is his co-star, Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen). She can't act, sing, or dance, so they get Kathy Selden to dub her voice. But when Lina finds out, she;s furious and want's to "Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuue". The Crazy Events lead to a wonderful ending. Others in the cast are Cyd Charisse, Millard Mitchell, Rita Moreno, and Douglas Fowley. The soundtrack is wonderful too. It includes "Good Mornin'", "My Lucky Star", "Moses", "The Broadway Ballet", and of course, "Singin' in the Rain".

Rating:
Summary: Gene, Donald & Debbie - Musical Wonderment And Magic!
Review: SINGING IN THE RAIN is one of those classic movies made in 1952 that showcase the talents of Gene Kelly (Briggedoon, Anchors Away) and Donald O'Connor (Out To Sea, Ragtime, Francis The Talking Mule ). It also introduces us to the newly discovered talents of then 19-year-old Debbie Reynolds (In And Out, The Bodyguard). The concept of the film was difficult to create but the idea was to get all of Arthur Freeds songs in the movie from the early 20's and 30's. No simple task since there were many.

Directed by Gene (also directed Hello Dolly, Giget) himself and Stanley Donen (Kissmet, Funny Face, The Pajama Game) the movie tells the tale of how one movie star became what he is and mad e the transition from Silent Films to talking pictures back in the 1920's. Comically filled with moments of fun, energy and magic this movie has whimsical musical numbers and the most sophisticated and visually dynamic dance choreography around. Staged and designed by Gene again and the newly discover choreographer Michael Kid ( ) - the number s are amazing to watch.

The numbers are all toe tapping and memorable and the title song and it's sequence are magical to watch. Who hasn't, at one time or another, tried to imitate Gene when they were out in the rain all by themselves? (Be honest!) This is a classic film, with a classic cast and classic songs to go with it. By far it ranks #1 next to films like Royal Wedding, Wizard Of Oz, An American In Paris, On The Town, Anchor's Away and even the modern day Grease. This is a fantastically entertaining movie. Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor are the best they could ever be in this film.

Most of the credit of the goes to the movie mogel Arthur Freed who ended up having all of his songs being put in the film and the producer of this film and others like Gidet, Briggadoon and The Wizard Of Oz.

The DVD extras are incredible hours of commentary and documentaries with the cast and crew and all the talents from design to orchestration are on this DVD. You'll have hours and hours of history to watch on this one. My only regret is that I wish it were Widescreened or Letterboxed version. I always wondered what I was missing on the small screen. However, despite this, this is a must to have in your collection! And Gene Kelly will always be missed! (10-27-02)

Rating:
Summary: The Citizen Kane of musicals
Review: So many films in my collection are "important", "serious", "disturbing", or "great", and as much as I treasure them (films like Citizen Kane, Vertigo, and Ran), there is only so much self-importance a person can take before the pores fairly scream out for something just plain fun; something slight, buoyant, silly, and full of energy. Singin' in the Rain is just that kind of movie. The funny part is, I generally HATE musicals!

In 1951, Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen took a collection of songs by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown and - assisted by a pitch-perfect screenplay from the writing team of Adolph Green and Betty Comden - sculpted one of the great classic fusions of popular cinematic art and precision dance craft. It is the Citizen Kane of musicals: a virtual catalog of musical film technique, executed flawlessly.

But that alone would not be enough to separate Singin' in the Rain from the kind of musical I can't stand (which is to say, just about every other musical ever made). No, what makes this one special is that it knows what it is and celebrates it. It never for a moment asks you to forget you're watching a movie and then grinds to a screeching halt for the musical number. Instead, it deconstructs itself before your very eyes (and ears) as a razor-sharp, self-aware satire of the movie industry - as well as a joyous expression of the pure ecstasy of great song and dance. In that sense, it is one of the few so-called musicals that actually achieves a genuine symbiosis of drama, music, and kinetic performance art.

If all this sounds rather gushing and pretentious, so be it. This is great film-making. It is Rolex Oyster Perpetual film-making. This DVD edition sparkles with ultra-saturated colors, digitally remixed Dolby 5.1 sound, and some terrific extras (even if you're not particularly into musicals).

My favorite sequence is the eerily fluid dance work between Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse against a Dali-esque background near the end of the film. Charisse is spellbinding as she trails a gravity-defying veil that must be 30 feet long. It hangs in the air, suspended by wind machines as she uses her extraordinary dance skill (and fantastic legs) to affect a wordless seduction of Kelly's naive, love-struck hero. Great stuff.

Even if you don't think of yourself as the "musical type", give Singin' in the Rain a try. After all that heavy, bitter, existential cinema, it makes one helluva fine dessert.

Rating:
Summary: Tremendous deluxe edition
Review: "Singin' In the Rain" has finally gotten the "special" treatment this masterpiece deserves. The new digital transfer is stunning-- both visual and audio. I've seen this film I don't know how many times in theatres, including several screenings in the original 3-strip Technicolor. This transfer, as with "The Wizard of OZ," is as close as you can get to seeing a 3-strip print in a theatre.

Many reviewers have complained about the commentary track and it is the low-point of this edition. So skip it, if you don't like it.

Instead, throw on the second disc, which is a goldmine. First, there is the excellent PBS documentary on the Arthur Freed Unit, "Musicals Glorious Musicals." This is an often revealing 90-minute film about the musical films Freed produced. Plenty of great excerpts, too. It tends to puffery, but not excessively.

Then there is a new documentary, "What A Glorious Feeling," on the making of "Singin' In the Rain." Watching both these documentaries, you don't need the commentary track. Most of it was lifted from these documentaries.

In addition, this supplementary disc includes the songs used in "Singin' In the Rain," as they first appeared in their original written for films and later films that used the songs again. Some of these are unintenionally funny today. But it is really a crash course in the history of movie musicals. My favorite is Eleanor Powell in the number that introduced "You Are My Lucky Star." A beautfully done, very '30's black-and-white number that builds into an all stops-out dream-dance sequence. (Were Americans ever this innocent?) Others include Bing Crosby wonderful introducing "Beautiful Girls," Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney introducing "Good Morning," Cliff Edwards (aka Ukele Ike, Jiminy Crickett) introducing "Singin' In the Rain" with what appears to be every star then under-contract to M-G-M in 1929, "Broadway Melody" in a tremendous number led by the irreplaceable Eleanor Powell and support from some of the best talent of the time including "eccentric dancer" Buddy Ebsen and the great singer Frances Langford--the best number by far in this retrospective. And there is another whole section of audio excerpts from the recording sessions.

In short, this is an incredible collection that any musical or film buff should treasure.

It is true, as one reviewer noted, that the "Broadway Melody" number in "Singin' In the Rain" is a flaw in the flow of the film. Pauline Kael pointed this out too. She considers the film a great one. For myself, I don't mind, the number is too damned well-conceived and entertaining. Again, thanks to being on DVD, you can jump to the next scene if you don't care to watch it. I've tried it and the film definitely runs smoother narratively. But I missed it, and played after the film.

If you love SITR, as I do, this is a must buy. If you're interested and have never seen it, rent it and decide for yourself.

Let's hope that Warner Brothers does a 50th anniversary edition of "Bandwagon" next year with a digital and audio refining that equals or surpasses this. And a better commentary track. Bet Scorssee would join in the commentary.

ONE LAST THING

"Singin' In the Rain" was not shot in widescreen, but in the only format used for studio pictures before the end of 1953. It was designed to be shown in 1.37:1, Which just about the ratio of most tv screens. YOU ARE NOT MISSING ANYTHING. I wish you young film buffs would educate yourselves about the history of film aspect ratios.

Also Michael Kidd had nothing whatsoever to do with the choregraphy in "Singin' In the Rain." He comments on it, but never claims he did any of it, for the simple reason he did none. He was probably in New York over-seeing his legendary choregraphy for the original stage production of "Guys and Dolls." Which is probably why he got the "Bandwagon" assignment a year after "Singin' In the Rain." He did all the choregraphy in "Bandwagon" and the following year, 1954, for "7 Brides For 7 Brothers."

Kelly and Donen worked in partnership on the choregraphy and direction "SITR." And it is really impossible now to determine who was responsible for what.

Rating:
Summary: a little soggy
Review: I hate to rain on anyone's parade, but after hearing that this was one of the best movies of all time, maybe my expectations were too high. It's easy to see how it was done: a bunch of old songs were collected and then a thin plot was created to string them together. There are some fun musical numbers and some great dancing, but the whole thing feels very pieced together. If you believe it's possible for a musical to sing, dance, AND tell a good story, this one may disappoint.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding picture quality, great commentary track
Review: First things first: the reason this disc isn't in widescreen format is because the movie wasn't shot in widescreen! Gene Kelly HATED Cinemascope and its ilk, and never shot in widescreen unless he was forced to. Simple reason: not enough theaters had the wide screens installed. If you look at the shots in this movie, it's obvious the framing is intact.

Now, for the important stuff: is this disc worth owning, even if you already have the original DVD release (and the laserdisc)? I would give it an unqualified YES. The picture quality is--well--stunning is the only word for it. Scene after scene, I was seeing stuff I had never noticed before, and I've seen this movie at least 30 times. The commentary track includes insights from pretty-much all of the surviving people who were involved in the production (including the writers), so there are some great insider's anecdotes. (Still, I wish they could have put in Ron Haver's commentary from the Criterion Collection laserdisc, but I'm sure there were rights issues there.) A big raspberry, though, to Debbie Reynold's commentary performance. Mostly, what she does is introduce the other commentors by name, but she seems to think every one must be announced with great dramatic flair. "And now....Cyd Cha-r-r-isse!" Ugh.

Other than that, though, it's a great treatment for a great movie.