by Dennis Polifroni
(U.S.A. 1952 103 min.) DVD
p. Arthur Freed d. Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen w. Betty Comden, Adolf Green m. Nacio Herb Brown lyrics. Arthur Freed ph. Harold Rosson e. Adrienne Fazan art. Cedric Gibbons, Randall Duell
Gene Kelly (Don Lockwood), Debbie Reynolds (Kathy Seldon), Donald O’Connor (Cosmo Brown), Jean Hagan (Lina Lamont), Millard Mitchell (R. F. Simpson), Rita Moreno (Zelda Zanders), Douglas Fowley (Roscoe Dexter), King Donovan (Publicity Head), Judy Landon (Olga Mara), Madge Blake (Radio Interviewer), Cyd Charisse (Dream Girl/Gun Moll)
It really is an iconic moment when you think about it…
The protagonist struts out of a doorway and onto an open-air set that fans out to the entire expanse of the film frame. Smiling, he strolls past the camera with a slight spring in his step. The slow appearance of a curl that will lead to a big smile begins to grow on his face the way a weed would grow in the presence of many a rainy night. He continues to stroll, the happiness of his day has lead to his evening and the man begins to hum.
Do-Be Do-Do… Do-Be Do-Be Do-Dooo…
He stops for a moment and turns to face the camera directly. At this moment he softly warbles the first five words of one most recognizable songs in cinema history. Then…
THWACK!!!!!!!!
His jet black leather military boot careens into the chest of a man bound and gagged on the floor. The bound man trembles with fear and shakes in nervousness as he is held down by two other men. The protagonist continues to sing…
“I’ll walk down the lane, with a happy refrain…”
The men holding the frightened man down begin to applaud and cheer for the song. The more they cheer, the more the boot swings.
It’s really amazing to think how many of today’s movie-going core generation know, in fact can sing, SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, but have never seen the classic musical that famously positions the song at the center of the action and takes its name as the title of the film. Most young cinema lovers know it from its second most iconic use and it’s from the scene described above and featured as one of the many showstoppers (if you wanna call it a showstopper) in Stanley Kubrick’s frightening look into the future, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. That the song, in this capacity, can jog the brain functions of today’s youth, one has to be grateful. With Rap and Hip-Hop predominantly running rampant across the globe it’s really amazing that an old, brilliant standard from yesteryear can stick like glue to the numbed minds of anyone under the age of 20 these days. The true shame of it all has to do more with a lack of exploration than it does with the rash that has plagued music for the past decade and a half now. Simply put, the current generation isn’t an iota as inquisitive as the ones that took center stage before their births. But, it’s not just music. They all know about the big ape that climbed the Empire State Building without ever having seen KING KONG, and they all know the line “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” without ever having seen Clark Gable utter those immortal words to a shocked Vivien Leigh during the final moments of the immortal GONE WITH THE WIND. It’s really about us. Our lack of time and patience to truly educate, to light an enthusiastic fire under the ass of the young to look deeper and further into the rabbit hole has brought in a big sense of gluttony to them and a total lack of interest for the finer things from the past.
Myself, I’m always a bit ashamed by the disservice we do to kids by not pushing them a little harder and not showing a more enthusiastic spirit in something they have never experienced. For, if we did, they would be knowing songs like SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN for the wonderful thing it really is and not just for that moment of debauchery that figured so prominently in that acclaimed Kubrick film of sex, rape, torture and ultra-violence. They would know it as the anthem that it was meant to be, a joyous ode to the carefree nature of love and putting all your worries behind you after the arrow of cupid has pierced your heart. If more kids started out with the likes of SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, PINOCCHIO, THE WIZARD OF OZ, E.T. and CASABLANCA the world would probably be a better place.
As it stands, has there ever been a musical? Shit, I’ll go further than that… Has there ever been a film that can induce as many smiles and grins as lightning quick as this seminal song and dance comedy? I know, myself, I have been heard to say that it is the only movie I know of that, despite your house burning down to the ground, your dog dying, your wife or girlfriend running off with the ENTIRE varsity football team in an orgiastic whirlwind of booze, drugs and bestiality, and every dime being drained from your savings account through identity theft (Yikes! That’s the one that would really hurt!), could still reduce you to giddy smiles and a total forgetting of the hardships and hurts in your life. It may very well be the one Hollywood movie that could melt the hardest and blackest of hearts (someone should ship a few DVD copies to the Taliban).
To this end, one can understand why the friendship between Gene Kelly and Stanley Kubrick was strained after Kelly’s viewing of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. The centerpiece moment of Kelly’s most beloved film had been reduced to underscore gang violence and a brutal rape. The two directors, friends before the premiere of ORANGE in the States in 1971, never spoke to each other again. In Kubrick’s defense, I would say that Kelly over-reacted. If anything, he should have taken the recreation of his most iconic song and dance number as an homage of a classic moment within the confines of what would become just as much a classic as the film it imitates. It is a recognition of the influence that SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN has had on people from around the world and a definition of the boundless joy anyone can feel when remembering what it’s like to sing your cares and the pressures of society away (yes, even if you’re a despicable, scumbag criminal like Alex DeLarge).
Seeing SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN recently, I’m again bowled over by its breathtaking bravado and lightning-fast pacing. It comes on to the viewer like gang-busters and within seconds of it starting it quickens the pulse and sends electrical waves of pleasure down the spine. The stirring, building scherzo that plays behind the roaring MGM logo segues into an explosion of sound that immediately reveals the smiling, singing faces of the three leads of the cast and sees them energetically tramping through puddles in a truncated version of the highlight song and visually arresting main titles sequence decked out in rubber boots, yellow raincoats and umbrellas. It’s a brief bit, but it fully entrances the audience and takes them by the throat for a ride that won’t let them go for a full hour and 45 minutes. SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN is a roller-coaster, a musical action film that steams ahead, full throttle and never allows you to take a breath.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F482X8cHlho
I find this true in many facts both discussed and not by the major thinkers in film criticism. Many have noted that there is very little “down” time between the music and dance sequences. Yet, many also have commented that between the numbers is some of the funniest comedy material ever concocted for the big screen. If it were stripped of its music, songs and dance sequences, SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN would STILL hold up as one of the funniest comedies from the 1950’s.
The story is simple yet complicated at the same time. Don Lockwood (Kelly) is a silent screen star whose off-screen life has been complicated by the insistence of his production company that he maintain the appearance of a romance between his on-screen partner, the beautiful and voluptuous Lina Lamont (Hagan). Together, they are one of the silent screens most bankable duos, hitting box-office gold with just about every film they make together. However, Don cannot stand Lina’s narcissism and her clingy insistence that she shadow him even into the bathroom. Lina also harbors a secret, and when the movies decide to make the change from silent to talking pictures her glass-shattering voice (think of Mae Questel voicing Betty Boop on speed) becomes the albatross around the neck of Lockwood and Lamont and panic over the future longevity of the duo and the life of the studio ensues.
But, what to do?
It’s only by chance that Don happens to fall into the lap (literally, and in one of Kelly’s most acrobatic moments in the film) of a showgirl, Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds in her screen debut), who just so happens to have knock-out singing voice. With the help of his always conniving pal Cosmo (Donald O’Connor in the big comedic performance of the film), they convince the heads of the studio, and Lina, to use Kathy’s voice as a dub for Lina on the soundtracks to keep the secret from getting out and from destroying the popular team.
History couldn’t have been better preserved or funnier than in the recreations of the turmoil many of the studios went through when switching over from silent to sound. Microphones needed to be placed invisibly so the audiences would not see them. Actors and actresses looked like they were talking to trees or furniture rather than to the person they should be speaking to (one of the funniest moments in the film has Lina complaining that she cannot “make love to a BUSH!”) and many times the voices weren’t recorded properly and wound up sounding muffled or out of sync in the final presentation. One glorious joke comes hot on the heals of the one before it and it’s really amazing, looking at it today, that the film can be seen as both entertaining and somewhat educational at the same time.
But, through it all, the jokes and the lessons learned act like stitching in an elaborately tailored costume for a grand ball. They string together what may very well be the most recognizable and jaw-dropping musical numbers in the whole of the history of film.
What boggles the mind, however, is that some of the most exquisite or knock-out brilliant numbers are often referred to as nothing special within the story-line of the film and that, in itself, is another terrific joke concocted by the directors and the screen-writers. Take, for instance, the very first number we see on screen. Don relates to a radio interviewer that he and Cosmo started from humble beginnings and only worked in the finest of places (in fact, the first place seen is a dumpy saloon). He then says they moved on to Vaudeville where they tried to keep their chins up despite the awful material they were handed and it’s here that a major joke illustrating the opposite is seen. FIT AS A FIDDLE could be one of the best tap-dance numbers ever recorded on film. What is supposed to be a throw-away number, seen in flashback, sees Kelly and O’Connor tap dancing, doing Russian kicks, acrobatics and all the while singing and playing violins. It’s absolutely amazing when you think of the two minute length of the number and for it to be so filled with such a myriad of detail. It’s really a breathless moment that kind of sets the bar for what is to come in the rest of the movie. I remember Ronald Haver, on a CRITERION COLLECTION laserdisc audio commentary for RAIN stating to the effect that it’s almost as if Kelly and Donen felt you had to whallop the audience into submission right away or they would lose them to the thinking that the film would be nowhere near as good as AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (Kelly’s hit from the previous year that went all the way to the Best Picture trophy at the Oscars). Boy were they wrong and did the persistence ever pay off as FIT AS A FIDDLE could easily trump anything done in AN AMERICAN IN PARIS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y98dMpUHQrY
The more I replay the film in my head the more I realize that there really isn’t much to be said about a film that has had so much said about it over the years and decades since its release. Pauline Kael rescued the film from obscurity after the film failed in 1952 and likened it to the single greatest musical ever made in one of her many novel length college lectures on Hollywood film-making at its finest. However, for me, it’s all about the music and the numbers surrounding them. No more of a joyous ode to finding a perfect love could ever be illustrated in song than the moment Kelly zips up his umbrella and dances through the onslaught of a massive rain storm in the title number (the back-story on the number was that Kelly was suffering from a bad case of the flu and was harboring a bodily temperature of 104 when he did it again and again and again to get it right) not caring a fig that he’s getting soaked but only reveling in the love that has bitten him. Donald O’Connor takes MAKE EM LAUGH to the highest extremes with back flips, running up walls and falling through stage scenery in what would be the tour-de-force of his entire career. Reynolds, well, for her first film gig, she couldn’t have pulled it off more beautifully than she does with the three numbers she has on display. ALL I DO (IS DREAM OF YOU) is a show-girl delight that has her kicking it with a dozen other beauties and all the time keeping her wits and her consternation for Don illustrated in every pass she makes in front of him. The girl is, literally, singing and dancing while acting out her anger at the main character all at once. GOOD MORNING has her hoofing it with both Kelly and O’Connor and it’s hard to tell the difference between the seasoned pros (Kelly and O’Connor) and the newbie in the crowd (the legend is that, forever a trooper and looking to impress Kelly, she went through take after grueling tap-dancing take without a complaint. However, she was put on medical leave for a week after the completion of the number as she blew every blood vessel in her feet and was seen leaving the set with a trail of blood following her).
In the end, though, it comes down to Kelly and Donen pulling out the stops on some of the best loved Arthur Freed songs and no number in the film is more worthy of praise for its lush visuals and physical audacity than the Broadway Melody Ballet. Kelly was a big lover of the fine art of ballet and was always looking for new ways or perfect numbers to show off his talents in this particular field of dance (Astaire may have been the more perfect classically trained dancer but Kelly puts his heart into every movement he makes-it’s apples and oranges-but I’ll take Kelly and his evocations of soul in his dancing over the slick precision of Astaire any day of the week). The ballet sequence in SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN could be the directing duos best moment and the one that should be put in a time capsule. Starting off in a burst of color that evokes impressionist painters fused with the Broadway drawings of Al Hirschfeld (Cedric Gibbons and Randall Duell deserve extra credit for their jaw dropping art and set design), the number starts off as an effusive tap dance fight with Cyd Charisse as a gangster’s moll that Kelly steals the attention from. If sex could be personified in dance in the 1950’s and not get killed by the censors of the time than this moment is the one that slipped through the cracks. Every move that Kelly makes to follow the lead of Charisse suggests lustful longing and unattainable sexual freedom. Considering the year this was made, I’m absolutely bowled over by the skimpiness of the dress that Charisse is parading around in the barroom sequence (complete with a gangster boyfriend at her side, flipping a coin and looking a lot like Paul Muni in SCARFACE) and the amount of leg that she is allowed to display. I’ll bet there were a lot of horny teenage boys in the theatres running for fresh air after the film was over. But, this wasn’t enough because as the barroom number slows, the surroundings fade out and reveal an abstract background that illustrates the isolation of a new couple and the tunnel vision one gets when finding the right mate. This is fused with an all-out jump into every kind of great ballet move seen on a stage and it’s here that Kelly, as choreographer, takes the light-heartedness of Hollywood musical fare into the stratosphere of fine art. Every step, blowing of a scarf and twirl are accentuated with a burst of orchestral music reminiscent of masters like Tchiakovsky. It is the moment that Kelly and Donen honed all there skills as directors and visual artists to produce moving masterstroke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPr32qamLiw
Visually, the movie cannot be faulted. The costuming, production design and cinematography capture all the angles and ages of the periods that run through this film with breathless accuracy. For instance, I love the detail of the Hollywood party in R.F.’s mansion. Look carefully and you’ll see representations of every type of fashion made popular in early 1930’s style (Judy Landon as Olga Mara is a spot on representation of Gloria Swanson) and all of it captured in the green tinted camera work of Harold Rosson. There really was more to SINGIN IN THE RAIN than most would remember it to be. It is, at once, a film you remember solely for the music and the dance. Then again, it’s a wonderfully performed character study of the types that made Hollywood of the late 20’s and early 30’s so notable (Jean Hagan waltzed her way into an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress as the conniving chanteuse that thinks she’s got the world strung to her pinky finger) and then, again, it’s a biting comedy about an age many of us have only heard of in stories passed down by generations and altered again and again and again.
No. SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN is exactly what Pauline Kael championed it as back in the days when her voice was one of the most powerful in film criticism. It’s a work of art so seamless that you take the art for granted and just go with the joy of it all…
That is the greatest compliment for and the truest miracle of SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN.
Like Kelly sang in the title number, it really is a glorious feeling.
In my mind, it’s also the greatest screen musical of them all and one of my favorite films EVER…
No word I write could ever do it justice.
Just gotta see it to believe it and, when you do, relish the fact that there will never be another as good as it is…
How Singin in the Rain made the ‘Elite 70′:
Allan Fish’s No. 1 choice
Dennis Polifroni’s No. 1 choice
Pat Perry’s No. 1 choice
Marilyn Ferdinand’s No. 1 choice
Greg Ferrara’s No. 3 choice
Sam Juliano’s No. 4 choice
Judy Geater’s No. 6 choice
I am thrilled to see my favorite musical at number one, and to read two excellent posts on this film! The entire countdown has been populated by insightful, interesting reviews from some of the most talented film bloggers on the web. And I’m pleased to have contributed to the effort!
Sam, you and the Wonders crew are to be commended for putting together such a brilliant tribute to one of the most entertaining genres in the history of cinema!
Thanks very much for that Brandie! It was a real pleasure having you aboard too, and your contributions were extraordinary! Here’s to the musical form!
So glad to have you with us again Brandie!!!! Concurring with Sam and throwing in my sentiments too, it was lovely to have you come on board and contribute to project (your piece on PINOCCHIO stands as one of the best of the entire count-down) and so glad you just as knowck out by the whole thing as we all were.
Thank you for the wonderful response and I’m sure I speak for everyone here when I say that we all hope to see your work on these pages again soon…
The countdown has ended with two stupendous essays on what I’m sure nearly everyone assumed would be named the no. 1 musical of all time from the beginning, way back in August. (Was it really nearly three months ago?) Both reviews do justice to this great, great film and complement each other nicely to boot, each echoing the other’s sentiment that this is just about the happiest, most entertaining, most joy-inspiring movie ever made. John writes that it “sparkles with energy, radiates with marvelous songs and shines with superb dance turning those dark clouds up above into a shiny glorious sensation.” Dennis says that “it is the only movie I know of that . . . [can] reduce you to giddy smiles and a total forgetting of the hardships and hurts in your life. It may very well be the one Hollywood movie that could melt the hardest and blackest of hearts.” Not only is this the greatest musical, but one of the greatest movies of all time–the “Citizen Kane” of musical films. It works flawlessly on every imaginable level. (Sorry, John. I’m nuts about the Broadway Melody part the same way I am about the similarly tangential “Born in a Trunk” in “A Star Is Born.”) It’s incomparable as satire, humor, singing, dancing, color, movement, writing, acting, photography, and maybe the most enjoyable movie about movies ever made. If I’ve overlooked anything, it’s by accident.
My special compliments to ringmaster Sam for conceiving of and overseeing this project at every step (not to mention doing a fair amount of the writing himself), and there must have been a lot of steps to an undertaking this ambitious and massive. Considered as a whole, the Greatest Musicals Countdown is a superb introduction to the musical film for those not already familiar with it and a glorious reminder to those of us who are of why we loved these movies in the first place and continue to love them.
R.D.:
You have been a knight in shining armour as far as this countdown is concerned, and your daily comments under all the threads have been uniformly informed, insightful, passionate and supportive to the umteenth degree. To say simply that you have “come through” would be a gross understatement. In fact your role has been more of the heart and soul variety, and it’s astonishing to realize the kind of time and effort you have commited to the project from the outset. Your writing of course was superb too, but it was the remarkable grasp and appreciation of the form that shined through in your incomparable comments.
You are a prime motivator, a man of exceptional taste and knowledge, and one who is gifted at bringing out the best in everyone. This wa struly one of your greatest online performances, and I feel privleged and honored that it was in the service of this countdown.
Kudos too on your work and promotion that resulted in a wonderful fraternity of new writers for the countdown, people like Brandie and Brian among others.
This was quite a ride my friend. I thank you a hundred times over!
Yes, this WAS a massive project that SAM commandeered rather well (although none of you saw him sweating it out to finish certain reviews or put up posts and I know he spent a few all nighters getting things ready, it very complicated stuff) and my hats off to the big lug.
As for SINGIN’ being the “happiest” musical of them all, uh, I’d probably say you are right. It’s got that magical effect on me far more than just about any other one in this top ten (with the exception of, say, THE WIZARD OF OZ and later on the count with FOOTLIGHT PARADE). However, with me, it’s about the whirlwind effect of the pacing of this film that just sweeps me away. The moment the three of them turn to the audience in the raincoats and umbrellas in the opening credits sequence you know this one is out to take no prisoners and just whallop you.
I really is like a musical action film. It leaves you breathless.
And BTW…
Although I WAS privvied to seeing the results of the voting before the publication of each essay (an adavantage of being one of the balloteers), I purposely threw the listing away. I did this for one reason. I wanted to be surprised, dismayed at times and shocked by the unfolding.
However, I predicted to SAM early on that two films would landslide the top two postions (and SAM agreed with me that this would be so) and damn if we weren’t 100% right on this all the way. While THE WIZARD OF OZ might be the all around BETTER film, SINGIN IN THE RAIN is the perfect example to the defintion of MOVIE MUSICAL. It had the most No. 1 votes of any film that was voted for and it was always a forgone conclusion (even before the balloting began) that it would take the TOP position…
Dennis,
Your essay was certainly entertaining to read and you manage to connect the dots rather well with A Clockwork Orange. I don’t really have anything to say about this film except that it’s rather perfect. What more is there to say. I do disagree with you about younger generations though. It seems to me that every generation complains about the next one. It’s always been that way and it always will.
To say this is to be prejudiced it seems: “Simply put, the current generation isn’t an iota as inquisitive as the ones that took center stage before their births.” Do you really mean that? Who are you referring to? Which generation? Me and my group? Careful there Dennis
I went long and hard for The Wizard of Oz yesterday, I can do it again.
My kids are 1 and 3 years old. I sing “Good Morning” and “Singin’ in the Rain” to them at various times in the day randomly and they love it. They’ve also seen those clips on YouTube and will likely watch the film in the next few years.
My point is, people are different. There were people in previous generations who were uninformed and the same goes for today. But, there are also people that are well rounded, appreciate different perspectives, and watch lots of different kinds of movies (From f*cking Wizard of Oz to A Clockwork Orange).
What I mean to say is, this movie is a worthy #1 and there really couldn’t be another in this slot.
Let me rephrase something. I don’t sing these songs everyday nor all day nor even every week! Lest some people think I’m a lunatic fanboy.
No, not that their generation or their parenting is bad. No, not at all like that. I’m talking about a generation that is far more interested in video games and the idea of shooting to kill rather than sitting down with a parent or guardian and taking in something they suggest. We (Sam, me, Lucille, Melanie, Gillian and little Jeremy) went to see WEST SIDE STORY on the big screen last night and when questioning Jeremy on the film as to whether or not he liked it. he just shrugged and couldn’t wait to get home to BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM and ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST…
This is what I mean…
On the other hand, I applaud parents like Sam and Lucille for even attempting to spark the fires of interest in the things that have gone before with their kids. It’s the ones that sit on the sofa, crack a beer, tell the kids to get lost, and then complain that their children are no good that kid me…
Which has gone on for generations in that way. There’s all kinds of kids throughout all generations. They weren’t all being schooled on the history of film in anyone’s day.
I think my best explaination for this subject can be found under JOEL’s commentary. I think I make my position on the subject very clear there.
BTW… I saw how much you went to the mat for THE WIZARD OF OZ yesterday.
Wonderful stuff I might add!!!!!!
Haha Dennis! Yes I did go to the mat yesterday. Haven’t done that much before, outside of The Sound of Music, but yesterday was my real bout.
Thanks for the support friend!
I wasn’t about to touch that thread with a ten foot pole! You guys/gals were out for blood!!!!
Dennis – I love it!!!
You absolutely get to the heart of what makes SINGIN” IN THE RAIN a classic: it’s so funny and flawlessly executed and moves so fast…. that it’s easy to miss how much artistry and hard work went into it. That’s its glory – Kelly, Donen, O’Connor, Reynolds, Hagen, et al make it look so effortless.
Few movies are this much fun, musical or otherwise, or hold up to multiple repeat viewings so well.
And may I add, it’s a bittersweet day seeing this Countdown come to a close. It’s been a wonderful experience to be part of it and to commune daily with other musical lovers on the comment thread. I will miss that.
It really is a “glorious feeling” isn’t it PAT?
This one comes in on the audience like gang-busters and the frenetic energy of this film is just stitched into every scene. It’s almost as if Kelly and Donen had a contagious flu that caused everyone to just rip into their work and give it the best they had…
On the other side of the coin, I am just as bummed about the count being over as the next guy and gal. I’m almost tempted to say “now what am I gonna do?”
I know, sad, right?
Will there be a thread for our lists?
I haven’t seen this one yet.
I’ve seen bits.
Here’s my list!
1. The Sound of Music (1965)
2. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
3. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
4. Swing Time (1936)
5. Cabaret (1972)
6. A Star is Born (1954)
7. A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
8. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
9. 42nd Street (1933)
10. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
11. An American in Paris (1951)
12. West Side Story (1961)
13. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
14. Mary Poppins (1964)
15. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
16. Funny Girl (1967)
17. On the Town (1949)
18. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
19. Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
20. Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
21. Easter Parade (1948)
22. The Music Man (1962)
23. The Band Wagon (1953)
24. Top Hat (1935)
25. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
26. Yellow Submarine (1968)
27. Once (2006)
28. Oliver! (1968)
29. Dancer in the Dark (2000)
30. Funny Face (1957)
31. The Red Shoes (1949)
32. Fantasia (1940)
33. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
34. The Smiling Lieutenant (1931)
35. Kiss Me Kate (1953)
36. The Little Mermaid (1989)
37. Footlight Parade (1933)
38. Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)
39. Oklahoma! (1955)
40. Annie (1982)
41. My Fair Lady (1964)
42. The Blue Angel (1930)
43. Amadeus (1984)
44. White Christmas (1954)
45. Pinocchio (1940)
46. Grease (1978)
47. Cabin in the Sky (1943)
48. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
49. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
50. Lili (1953)
JON-Great list!
I’m particularly happy to see that you ranked MARY POPPINS so high (a film that JOEL said he “loved watching Dennis go to the mat for”)…
Some might call me a sissy or nuts for defending it the way I did… But, the film has been a favorite of mine since I saw it many moons ago and I really think it’s a erfect example of art on film and one of the unguestionable definitions of musical on film…
Dennis I’m with you! I only wish I was able to support you that day. I got to the argument way too late to contribute. My kids love Mary Poppins by the way. I’m still waiting for the Bluray!
JON-You and me both on the BLU-RAY thing! However, have you heard anything about it coming to the Blu-Ray format? I haven’t heard a thing yet. But, then again, I’m a little behind on this stuff till Sam tells me about it…
No Dennis, I haven’t heard anything about a bluray. So disappointed!
Great list, Jon! A lot of Judy Garland near the top I note – and pleased to see we agree that 42nd Street is the best of the Busby Berkeleys. Must say if I did my list now it would probably be a bit different from what it was when I did it – these things are like snapshots in time.
Haha Judy! Thanks. Yes you’re right I guess it is a bit top-heavy with Garland.
Jaime, you can use either of the SINGIN IN THE RAIN threads to post your list.
Dennis,
Your entire A CLOCKWORK ORANGE opening is fantastic, and so true not only of the current young generation but even to many back in the 70′s who shunned older films just as many do now. And to paraphrase a line from the Rolling Stones song, START ME UP the film can “make a dead man come.” It’s that enthralling, a joyous rush from start to finish. I had no idea of the Kelly/Kubrick riff over the “Singin’ in the Rain” number in SK’s film. Magnificent music, fantastic choreography, a sharp script and cast that cannot be beat. Great, great job her Dennis!
Kelly had met Kubrick when Stanley was first starting out and MGM was his backer. They weren’t best friends, but they were very friendly as Kelly was interested in learning from the new talent and, particularly, had been impressed with Stanley’s LOOK magazine credentials (Stanley was the youngest staff photographer for the mag, something like 15 or 16 years old-there are conflicting reports on his age at that period).
They stayed in touch, regularly up to 1971…
Then the roof caved in…
Dennis – You had me completely fooled when you segued into A Clockwork Orange, but what an ingenious way to signal the iconic status of our No. 1 film. I loved this review in every particular (except the putdown of the younger generation, which Jon covered sufficiently, so enough said). Your writing flows, your appreciation of the details that make this film so very nearly perfect, just amazing. Thanks for ending this countdown on such a high note.
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!
Haha!!!!!! SomebodY FELL for it!!!!!!
I had been trying to find a new approach for SINGIN ever since SAM asked me to pen a testimonial for it (he has had to suffer my gushing over this film for damn near twenty years and knew I knew every production detail about it). However, how do you write about something that everyone on the planet has already written about?
You find a new angle or take another voice. That simple. Writing about icons is extremely difficult because they already have a chorus of voices. This has always been my practice and always been may mantra when writing about something that has gone before. I had suggested this when SAM was approaching the daunting tasks of OLIVER and SHOWBOAT and both of us agreed that the spearhead had to fly different ways. I’m not a seasoned pro at the capsule form that ALLAN is (actually he’s the master at it and I take my hat off to him for it, this is why I copy his credit and cast scrolls at the top of my reviews, as an homage-that and I’m a fuss-budget for uniformity and organization), and I refuse to write about something that has gone before without finding different ways to approach it (which is why my piece on Whale’s FRANKENSTEIN was really all about Karloff’s tremendous performance and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS was more about Ashman and Menken than about any other elements in the film). If I can’t do it differently, then I won’t do it at all…
Thinking about SINGIN’ was a daunting task. What do you say about it?
And then it hit me. Considering I’m babbling about Stanley all the time, why not allow this little told but well known story start her off?
According to you it worked! And my smiles for SINGIN have a new reason for being there all over again…
Your wonderful commentary to my piece was like a shot of adrenaline in my arm…
Thank you so much for the kind words!!!!
GOTCHA!
I have seen this great piece being planned over the past weeks, and needless to say it’s final posting is a real joy to the musical form and to the creative consciousness. With your love for Kubrick it was a given that you would travel down this road, but your success at integrating it into the popular culture aspect of this masterful tretis on the form’s most celebrated film is a real joy to behold. It hits the mark with me too on a personal note, as the truth of the matter is that I didn’t see SINGIN IN THE RAIN until after A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, even with my budding love for the form. I saw the Kubrick film at age 17 in 1971, and SINGIN IN THE RAIN the following year. You have exhaustively and intricately outlined this film with amazing passion, and candid and free flowing rhythem that seems a perfect match for the subject you are treating. It’s a labor of love, and a fitting final salvo in this remarkable three-month project.
Your enthusiasm is infectious, as is the energy in this film!
But, this is my whole point SAM.
Whereas YOU did seek out the film that laid the inspiration for that moment in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, there are so many out there that don’t and that’s the shame… If the elders (parents, guardians, older friends and grandparents) just nudged a little harder (I’m not saying all, but some), the seeds and foundations for further exploration would be there in a stronger form.
Yes, this WAS a labor of love and also a daunting challenge for writing about that which has so much written about in the past. It was actually a little frightening and even more so when I found out it was going to be the lead piece of the entire count…
Not bad though… I think John and me came out alright…
We’re still breathing…
Dennis, I love your intro! It’s definitely food for thought that the sensationalistic (albeit reflectively provocative) violence of A Clockwork Orange would capture such a huge market, while a mysterious gem like Singin’ in the Rain would be headed for oblivion.
Your phrase,”a roller coaster, a musical action film,” gets to the heart of its powers. Also very germane, I think, is the wonderful zaniness of the comedy.And then there are the fires you refer to in the dancing in “real time,” so much more vital than the silent celebrities about to disappear. Add to that, your great rendition of the ballet sequence, and I think you’ve brought to us a whole lotta illumination.
If there were one or two replies that I was pining for because I respect the author so much then this one from JIM is surely one of them.
I know, JIM, it’s a crazy thing to think when SINGIN’ becomes more and more silent over the years and ORANGE seems to get louder and louder (not saying that ORANGE doesn’t deserve it. You know what I already think of the film and, particularly, its director), but something a bit lop-sided feels afoot. I guess we should be greatful that they both turn oput to be classic examples of cinema and both should be on a short list of the all time masterpieces.
As for SINGIN being a rollercoaster, I have always felt that way. The scherzo that starts off the opening credits (much like the mariachi scherzo that starts off NORTH BY NORTHWEST a few years later) turns up the heat under us from word go and never lets up. This film is lightning paced and is meant to be. The jokes and the line delivery are all rapid-fire-machine-gun level and the seque frome one scene to another is just as fast. Unlike the more deliberately paced AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (which Kelly was always worried SINGIN would be compaired to-he was right), this one is meant to never let you catch your breath. Every music and dance number is a gem and could trump, in singular presentation, just about anything that had come before (and since) in the genre (shit, I’d go to the mat saying that FIT AS A FIDDLE is better than 90% of the tap dance sequences seen in musicals prior to 1952. And this is supposed to be a throwaway number?!)…
It’s a big, bold and beautiful film whose charms shine even more with every viewing. I look at it, even today, and wonder where this all came from.
It really is magic.
Brilliant opening! Love the “Polifroni touch.”
As for the younger generation being ignorant, every now and then I shudder (a recent essay in GQ by their newly-minted film writer boasted that no film in her canon would be pre-1986), but the fact that so many of us here are part of that very generation shows that at least some of us “get” classic films – there’s hope for the young folks yet!
Thank you. I knew, of all people, that you’d be the one (if any) to bite onto and appreciate the way I opened this one.
I think if I have one fan for my work here on WONDERS it is most definately JOEL. Yet, if I were to pick my favorite of all my pieces here at WONDERS it would most definately be the one I wrote for the Horror poll that Jamie and the boys were hosting, namely, NOSFERATU.
My second place choice would have been the one I wrote on THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS.
The “Polifroni touch”.
That’s hysterical.
As for the film itself, it is not only a great musical, it’s a great comedy and a great film-about-film (a genre that was especially hot between 1950 and 1954).
A couple weeks ago I noted that An American in Paris was sort of the climax to the classical era of Hollywood musicals, before the stage adaptations came in, but perhaps this is the conclusion, the surprise ending after the narrative has been resolved, which leaves us walking out into the street with a smile on our face. It takes all the threads present before – the comedic inclination, the show-business milieu, the hodgepodge of songs, the show-stopper non-narrative number – and weaves them together into one irresistable package that also has a tighter and more compelling plot than almost any musical up to that point (a fact which points ahead to the more story-focused musicals coming from Broadway).
JOEL-
Thank you for the kind words… Your commentary is always a welcomed addition to the threads and some of the words I look most forward to.
1. I’m not bashing any particular generation but commenting that there are many (like my nephews), that could use a little nudge away from the rap and hip-hop and the X-Box and get pointed in a different direction. Sam knows this about me and I may as well letcha all know, that I’m as open to new music as the next “kid” out there. I’ve been a fan and a big supporter of TUPAC, RADIOHEAD, EMINEM, MARY J BLIGE and SLIPKNOT (just to name a few) and my interests in different types of music, literature and film has been noted here on these threads for quite some time now.
My parents were dummy’s when it came to this kind of stuff when I was growing up. They were far more interested in work and socializing than they were about art and culture and it wasn’t till my grandmother stepped up to the plate that I ever heard anyone make a suggestion that would indicate a different path to explore. This wasn’t because my parents were bad people. Quite the opposite. They wer and still are some of the most loving and wonderful people I know. It’s just that their age and interests didn’t allow time and they were under the impressions that life would take over eventually.
Today it seems alot harder as the new generation seems more and more inundated with technology and things that signify immediate gratification. it’s a whirlwind that very few seem to weather without falling for the temptation and I try to give one nudge to my kids for evry ten nudges in the opposite direction that these temptations bring on. Sam has heard me say this a million times and I’ll say it for the one million and first time. His kids are my kids to a certain degree and my closeness to them demands I take an interest in the things they like to do. But, this doesn’t mean I shut down and cave to there inclinations and curl up in a ball and die. My role as a parent figure is to suggest, look to the past when it’s totally applicable, and stand back and see if they make the connection. I’m there to support, nothing more. I think this is the reason the kids respect and love me and I KNOW this is the reason I love them back so much. It’s not easy being an impressionable kid these days. There is so much out there to explore that it can be confusing to figure out which way to go. I guess I am grateful if they just grow up, be happy and don’t take up practices like ax murder as as a career.
2. Yes, I agree. The cut off of this part of the genre really does, kinds sorta end with SINGIN. The rash of stage to screen musicals that would follow in the 60′s seems to be the genres own little neat next transformation and it really does seem like all the newest and original ideas were teraded in for adaptations. Myself, I like both, but I would be lying to you id I said I didn’t care for the period between 1940 and 1959 better than anything that came after it. I’ll take a film like FOOTLIGHT PARADE over MY FAIR LADY any day of the week. There’s an electricity running through films of this period that jusr doesn’t seem to show itself too much in the 60′s.
I think the technology thing goes a few ways though – I notice more kids now citing older bands as their favorites because the digital era has made the notion of “latest & greatest” itself a bit outmoded. Plus there’s the whole “retro” thing in pop culture, and if it’s irritating how much the 00s recycled other decades, the silver lining is that it has rehabilitated history & the past to a certain extent, making them seem more acceptable and interesting to a younger generation. At least that’s been my perception.
I will say, however, that these notions don’t apply nearly as much to movies as they should, with a few notable exceptions like The Godfather. For some reason, public perception of cinema is more conservative than its perception of any other medium – what it can do, how important it is, how far back their interest will stretch. You’ll hear people with Masters speaking snidely about “art films,” you’ll see kids with a Led Zeppelin t-shirt groaning about an “old movies,” and you’ll find self-professed movie buffs who’ve seen hardly anything pre-1980. I’ve no idea why this is – it’s the complete opposite of the 70s when young people were mostly disinterested in music pre-1964 but it was considered rather hip to know about old movies (at least from what I’ve gathered, obviously I wasn’t there). Within film culture, it has been a golden age with DVDs and Netflix and the blogosphere, expanding film fans’ tastes and knowledge by leaps and bounds. But I wonder sometimes if the actual parameters of said culture have expanded much or if the preaching has mostly been done to the choir. I do know that the world I’ve found on Wonders and other blogs bears little resemblance to the “offscreen” world where only a handful of people I know are film buffs and most people seem to regard classic movies as something akin to postage stamps or vintage coins, an amusing hobby for eccentrics.
Hopefully it changes soon, somehow.
Thank you JOEL…
I know this is gonna sound like a cheap way to get out of what some would think a “sticky” situation…
But, your comment above perfectly gave voice to my thinking on this subject and the paragraph I wrote in the essay…
Actually, I couldn’t have said it better myself…
Dennis I’m fine with your explanation I just don’t agree with this statement which is what this started as:
“Simply put, the current generation isn’t an iota as inquisitive as the ones that took center stage before their births.”
In the words of Allan- Bollocks, or is it Bullocks!? One of those. You can’t pigeonhole a generation okay? It’s about individuals and there are no less inquisitive people today as 40 years ago. You can’t say that. It’s simply unfounded. No acknowledgement of this?
Oh, I do acknowledge it JON, I just think I worded the essay I little bit wrong. What I should have said is that with technology beiong what it is today and with the wealth of information coming into today’s kids, you don’t find as many looking back as much as they are looking forward…
Anyway, it sounded right when I was writing and proofreading the essay…But, you know how it goes, you get into a flow when your writing and you just keep going and going and going…
The point that I am trying to make is that most boirn after 1971 know the song SINGIN IN THE RAIN from A CLOCK WORK ORANGE rather than from, well, SINGIN IN THE RAIN…
And, in that, they ARE missing out…
This film could make the devil smile….
Hehe. Alright Dennis. Alright I’ll let this go. I know what you’re saying. There’s more than one side of the argument though, but that’s for another day perhaps.
Fine essay Dennis, with a creative opening. As I mentioned on John’s thread this have been a great ride for many, and I had a great time checking out the new post every morning. This is one of the great masterworks, and you have done it justice today.
Yeah, FRANK, I’m totally bummed by this whole thing coming to a close. I would get up every morning, make coffee, turn on the computer, drop down the cholesterol meds, take an aspirin and a Xanax, do my 20 minutes of exercise, take a shower and dress, then sit down to a warmed up computer, light a cigarette and dive in.
I’m a creature of habit, I have a schedule and a routine (Sam often chides me for being too organized-in this sense he is Oscar to my Felix) and the daily counts and the essays sprung from them were part of it as much as reading the NY Times is. I feel like a housewife in curlers sitting down after sending the kids off to school and dropping a load in the washer only to find that her soaps had been cancelled…
Dennis this is the funniest thing ever! LOL!!!!!!!!! I’m totally with you. What will I do tomorrow?
No JON, not funny…
You’ve never seen me in the morning…
I wanted to throw a shout out to all the people that made this count-down and the presentation of the individual essays so amazing.
First we need to talk about the writers. From Tony D’Ambra to Allan Fish, newcomers like Brandie, and lets not forget the inspired work from the likes of Marilyn Ferdinand, Pat Perry, John Grecco, Joel Bocko, Jim Clark and others whose words gave life to blank pages.
Of course, there would be no getting out of a round of applause if we didn’t speak of the person that brought the count-0down to colorful visual life and, for that, I think a big hand must go out to the ever extraordinary DEE DEE whose tireless work along the sidebar, numerous YOUTUBE imbeddings and visual help on everything from pictures to posters has added miraculously to the look and the feel of this venture.
Finally, I think the biggest THANK YOU has to go to SAM. Schmulee’s undying passion for the project, deep respect for the writers and artists that lent a hand to the proceedings, and never flagging cheerleading to inspire everyone involved to go for the brass ring has been an inspiration. His kind words, gargantuan enthusiasm and always open ear was the firmament that we all needed to proceed with such abandon and really tell you all what was in our heartys and minds.
This count will stand for many a year as a testament for our love of film, music and everything else in association with its combination. I don’t know of any web-sites that have taken something like this to the extremes as we did. It is, like the other counts and presentations done here at WONDERS and rare and wonderful thing. It is a celebration of art and the artists that were involved in its creation.
Thank you, SAM.
Thank you everyone.
As Gene Kelly sang in that immortal moment in the No. 1 film on this count:
It really is “a glorious feeling. I’m happy again!”
It’s been great hasn’t it? It’s really inspiring to see so much passion and commitment from people this way. I loved being part of it!
And you my friend have been at the head of the class all through it!
JON-I acannot tell you enough how much your commentary on these threads have meant to me. Your always hjonest opinions and good taste have been some of the very best parts to this count and I don’t think that any of the conversations and debates that have taken place here would have been complete without you. You contribution here and on the other essays has been absolutely astonishing…
My hat’s off to you…
Dennis and Sam, thank you very much for the compliments. I really enjoyed the fun ride and hope to be along for more in the future. You guys are great.
Really enjoyed your review, Dennis – and totally agree with you that it’s all about the greatness of the musical numbers. I liked your comment about ‘Fit as a Fiddle’ and the way this apparent throwaway is so fantastic in itself.
As I’ve just said over on John’s thread, this isn’t one of my absolute favourite musicals, though I had it at number six even so, but I must recognise its brilliance and in particular the amazing title number with Gene Kelly not only singing in the rain, but singing with the flu. You’d never know it! Must agree with you that the countdown has been a lot of fun and Sam has done a great job in organising it all, and also that Dee Dee has been fantastic in finding so many wonderful posters and videos for the sidebar every day.
JUDY, JUDY, JUDY (in my best Cary Grant impersonation)-
) the position on the ballot that you gave it…
No. 6 for a film that you don’t rank as the top dog is pretty damn high and believe me, both mysself and John appreciate (he-he
The thing that has always amazed me most about this film is something Sam and I were talking about just a few minutes ago during a ride in his car after we demolished the CRITERION 50% off sale at Barnes and Noble. Sam stated that he thought that, aside from the big musical numbers there are few really dead patches in the film. I contested that the film comes on to the viewer like gangbusters. Part of the films charm and total enjoyment, for me, are the jokes that present themselves during Dons narratuion in the beginning. The FIT AS A FIDDLE JOKE comes on to you without you even knowing it and it’s indicative to the rest of the film in moments that are not about music and dancing. The moments where the studio hands are trying to rig Lina for sound. Dons flight from the crowds as he exits the premiere. The anxiety of the director as Lina becomes increasingly more uncooperative, R.F. wind-bag aloofness, its all part of the joy of this film and keeps it purrring like a well oiled engine. For me, this film never stops. It’s a full speed-ahead assault on the viewer and the comedy moments are perfect bridges for the spectacular music numbers…
The films detractors see the bridges as a slow down. The films biggest admirers see the bridges as something additionally wonderful…
Dennis, as I know you are a big Gene Kelly fan, thought you might be interested in this extract from an interview Roddy McDowall did with him where he talks a bit about Singin’ in the Rain:
SENSATIONAL STUFF!!!!!
Way to go JUDY!!!!
My top musical list:
– But first a lovable mention to the best “musical” film, “American Graffiti” (1973) for being the best “musical” in which none of the characters sing –
1. 7:35 in the morning (2003, Nacho Vigalondo) Oscar nominated short from Spain, this film has become the most impressive visual as well as entertaining piece in short film’s recent history… and it’s a musical! It manages to be a comment on musicals and be an excellent, the best musical I’ve seen! You can watch it subtitled here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usYIM4Q7mII All 7:55 minutes of it.
2. Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007, Tim Burton)
3. The Lion King (1994, Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff)
4. Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog (2008, Joss Wheddon)
5. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975, Jim Sharman)
6. The Wizard of Oz (1939, Various Directors)
Maybe I can do a top 10 but I’d rather stay with all these musicals I love.
JAIME-
I don’t even know how to comment on this inspired comment except to say you have some of my all time favorites right in there.
Yes, THE LION KING is a musical and a pretty Damn good one at that.
Glad to see you chime in…
I loved how you opened this essay, Dennis. Totally caught me by surprise. That said, I’ve always resented (always meaning for the last year, since I first saw the film) Kubrick’s use of Singin’ in the Rain, because it is now burned into my memory as part of one of the most horrifying acts of violence I have ever seen onscreen. I really don’t like A Clockwork Orange overall because it seems to delight in its violence and subjecting us to ugliness far too much for a film with such a simplistic moral point—it strikes me as a manipulative piece of trash, but the kind only a genius could make. But I had almost managed to successfully forget that Singin’ in the Rain scene until you brought it all rushing back again. I don’t think Kelly overreacted.
Anyway, I love Singin’ in the Rain, it’s one of my favorite films of all time, and it rightly takes the top spot here. This was an excellent write-up (even despite your little get-off-my-lawn mini-rant about the current generation, of which I happen to be a part
). Good work everybody!
That’s the thing…
Some see the use of SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE as an homage to Kelly. Some, like Kelly himself, find it sick and out-of-line.
Me? I see it as an homage. But, where I see how you can despise a film like A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, I see it as one of the directors great, great films and one small, tiny part of it’s genius (eery genius at that) is the use of one of history’s most iconic songs about love and joy as the underscore for an unspeakable moment of horror. SINGIN IN THE RAIN helps drive the sequence in to unforgettable territory and that, in itself, is a brilliant move.
The unfortunate part for some is that Stanley’s film is so powerful, the image can not be removed from the song. But, when you really think about it long and hard, isn’t that what directly happens to Alex with Beethoven’s 9th Symphony after he comes out of the Ludivico treatment.
I know what you are saying. It sucks. But, I really think the film would have been a smidgen less powerful had SINGIN IN THE RAIN had not been used.
Hey, those are the breaks…
So I know you guys are planning another big Comedy countdown for the Spring, but I remember someone at some point–maybe just in the comments section–talking about a Romantic Comedy list as well. Perhaps there’s no plans at all for that anymore (if there ever were), but I would just like to register my wish for someone in the blogosphere to do a really good Rom-com list. The genre is mocked mercilessly today as movie after movie that fit that description turn out to be complete crap. But the genre has a glorious history, originally as the playground of Lubitsch, Hawks, Capra, Sturges, and Wilder, and still turning out occasional classics down to the present if you know how to find them. I’m sure there’s lots of great foreign films that would qualify. The genre is governed by a plot structure as strict as the western–surely there must be someone out there who can defend it in a similar manner, elucidating its various themes and subtexts. Average women today (my mom included) love the genre but keep watching the crap that keeps getting shoveled their way because they are unaware of how good it could be. We need a good list-maker who can remedy that.
And speaking of the Western, let me just say that whenever you do that list, I would love to help!
StephenM,
Doing a Rom-Com list would be tough, but including them in a general Romance list would allow for a more robust list. I’m thinking something like Casablanca could go up next to The Philadelphia Story and no one would complain. They both share the romance angle. Either way. I would be on board with something like that. But of course, if we’re doing a comedy list, that’s going to include Rom-Coms. I think all of us would be on board for a westerns list!
I put in enough hours yesterday at WITD before I punched out and headed home… so I’ll keep it simple. Nice job with this piece Dennis.
And you are entitled to a pay check for it my friend!
Thank MAURIZIO-
Your compliments are always welcome and some of the words that I look most forward to.
Yes, you guys were on fire last night.
I, basically, just sat back and watched the fireworks…
Congratulations to Dennis and to one and all on a thoroughly enjoyable and educational dance up to the pinnacle of musicals!
I’m happy that my favourite has ‘won’. It leaves with a spring in your step and a ‘let it rain’ joie de vivre.