The Greatest Musical Ever Made? Hell Yeah!

Rating: Null/10 (16 August 2014)

Reflecting state-of-the-art quality in every filmmaking aspect, jam-packed with wonderful songs, amazing choreography & exquisite use of humour, and depicting the often frustrating process of getting accustomed to something completely new, Singin' in the Rain is the story of a silent film production company which, along with its cast, makes a difficult transition to sound.
To be honest, I'm not really a fan of musicals. In fact, I despise live-action musicals but this film has so much charm, charisma & laughter that it manages to make itself work extremely well for the majority of its runtime. Directed by Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen, the film is a hilarious ride from start to finish & puts on screen some of the most exhausting dance sequences ever filmed.
The technical aspects deserve a mention too as cinematography includes many moments of long single-takes, fluid camera movements & perfectly captured shots, editing concisely paces the whole story without ever letting any boredom to set in, although that Broadway sequence did feel out of place & unnecessary to me. And last but not the least, many of its songs are instantly catchy & memorable.
Coming to the performances, the cast consists of Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds & Jean Hagen, and although Gene & Debbie no doubt share a great on-screen chemistry here, it's Donald O'Connor who ends up impressing the most for he was an absolute show-stealer in every scene and his highly energetic performance easily overshadowed everything else, including Gene Kelly's magnetic work both on & off the screen.
On an overall scale, Singin' in the Rain is hailed by many as the greatest musical to come out from Hollywood & I wholeheartedly agree. It certainly has every ingredient that makes a movie great & despite my initial lack of excitement or expectations, it turned out to be such an incredibly fun, hilarious & enjoyable cinematic ride that I'm going to cherish it for a long time. Don't miss it.