8 Film Musicals For People Who Don't Like Musicals
2. Singin' In The Rain (1952)
Most musicals from the 1950s are stagy, artificial affairs, revolving around phoney, even superficial plots. They tend to portray one-dimensional characters, supposedly falling in love with another equally bland character they barely know. So, what makes Singin' in the Rain stand out from the crowd? First of all, the song-and-dance numbers have a refreshing sense of freedom and improvisation. The comedians here may have suffered through endless painstaking rehearsals, but the sheer energy they bring on screen inspires comparisons with great physical performers of the silent era, like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Gene Kelly's high-spirited rendering of "Singin' in the Rain", swinging his umbrella under pouring rain is pure movie magic. But Donald O' Connor gives him a run for his money, with bold and playful acrobatic antics, running up walls and flipping over backwards in the jaw-dropping, neck-breaking "Make' em Laugh". Based on real time events, Singin' in the Rain is set during the 1920s, with the appearance of the first 'talkies'. Many of the film's best gags involve the comedians coping with the technical difficulties of the early talkies. At its heart however, the film tells the romantic love story between Don Lockwood and Kathy Selden. Their relationship starts as a hilarious battle of the sexes, complete with a combination of witty, fast-paced dialogue and slapstick situations worthy of the best screwball comedies. They are helped by a fabulous supporting cast, including Oscar-nominated actress Jean Hagen, as the deliciously dim-witted and self-absorbed Lina Lamont, and above all, by Golden Globe winner Donald O' Connor, whose astonishing display of stunts and somersaults is only matched by his perfect comic timing. Singin' in the Rain is just a pleasure to watch. It's one of those rare flicks that you can put on when when you feel down, that instantly makes you want to sing: "What a glorious feeling, I'm happy again!"
