If Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, this is Beauty at its Best

Rating: 10/10 (8 May 2011)

Imagine you are strapped to a torture chair Mr. A pops up on a television screen and announces nonchalantly: "Dear XYZ. This may be the last day you get to see your parents. You will have the movie 'Singing in the Rain' playing in front of you. At the end of the film, you choose your favorite number and scribble in down on a piece of paper." If I were the victim, I would prefer dying. Anyone who has seen SITR will really face this dilemma. We have numbers ranging from the titular 'Gotta Dance' to the benign 'Good Morning', titillating 'Singing in the Rain', dazzling 'Beautiful Girls', hilarious 'Make Em Laugh', foot-thumping and naughty 'Fit as a Fiddle (And Ready for Love)', chirpy 'All I do is dream of you' and the poignant 'You were meant for me'. Selecting one would be to disregard the other numbers in this legendary, avant-garde spectacular, extravagant, joyous, spellbinding and sizzling, magnum opus par excellence! Singin in the Rain is a lustrous effort showcasing the making of a movie in changing times. Lamont (Hagen) and Lockwood (Gene) are silent-film's darling couple, revered and envied by fans and carnal, shameless paparazzi who write 'bananas' about the couple. The cameras flash as celebrities grace the red carpet, the first being a unhappy sexagenarian-or-so with a unusually happy and ditsy girl in her 20's (gold-digger alert), the second an impassive one that is supposedly gleeful and then enter the couple-of-the-moment, with Cosmo being ignored completely, smiling photogenically, slickly pushing away an intruding paparazzi. Lockwood then glibly fabricates a make-believe story, devoid of crushing reality, while contradictory events play on screen. The reality of the couple too is quite different. Lamont is an egocentric, deluded, diva with a screechy voice and uncultured manners, reviled by much of the crew, who now face the brunt when both have to star in a talkie. To Lockwood's side are his comical yet versatile partner Cosmo and his love Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), chirpy, sprightly lass. And the director, producer etc. while Lamont has her by-the-book lawyers. What follows are unforgettable, timeless musical numbers with effervescent colors, embracing both screen and stage.
What makes this movie such a bundle of crackling joy is its interminable will to entertain. It has a buoyant story to be, which is rare for musicals that normally falter in this facet; iconic, veteran performances, delectable dance routines (some are as sizzling as a sizzler heated to perfection), memorable music and taut direction. With every viewing, the viewer not only is enchanted by its timeless persistence but also taken aback by the depth of the film. British countdown voting 'Grease' as the best musical ever is a travesty. Grease was greasy, a movie that has a pungent '70-80s' odor with clumsy, non sequitor storyline. SITR however is a movie that transcends all times, and this is how musicals should be made- without compromises.
The musical aspect itself would've covered a 1000 word if I had the choice. This, clubbed with creamy, crème de la crème dance routines by Kelly, Donald, Debbie and extras transports the audience to a heavenly stadium. And everything is so faultlessly placed, each balancing the other. The first, Fit as a Fiddle, is more for the feet, 'All I do " too flutters up the atmosphere. 'Make Em Laugh' is a comical treat, and really explores Donald's comical forte (The funny faces he makes are drop-to-the-floor funny!). Then we move on to 'Beautiful Girls", a classy number, that is preceded by a dazzling montage on the burgeoning of musicals in the 20s; 'You Were' is radiant, powerful, slender, 'Moses' again increases the pace (redundant though some may find it, it still seems refreshing, to keep the attention of the fidgety audience intact). 'GM' with its impromptu Hawaii interlude is quite a spectacle, while 'SITR' is legendary. Then, to top it all, we have 'Broadway Melody' a twelve minute clou du spectacle, with an enchanting, ethereal number by Charisse and Kelly. In fact, Kelly's lines are so expertly and gracefully executed I had a vicarious ecstasy within me. I would be delighted to see more movies of his.
The acting is stupendous across the board. And the Oscars and the Critics Circles should be ashamed for not recognizing the merit of this wonder. I'll enlist the performances in brief: 1) Gene: Marvelous, with shining comic-timing, he is the ultimate ladies' man and quite a gentleman too. Watch out for his chemistry with Debbie and his mis-chemistry with Jean. Favorite lines: "Believe me; I don't like her half as much as I hate you. You REPTILE!" "What can I do to you, I'm just a shadow!" are ROFTL ones.
2) Debbie: Naïve, bubbly and a girl-next door Kathy is so gently played by Debbie, shedding any grandiosity of an actress and adding a genteel quality to the film.
3) Donald: Robbed! Yeah, carrying a performance with such jovialness is hard, and incorporating silly faces without making the movie look silly is indeed Oscar-worthy.
4) Jean Hagen: Probably the most distinctive aspect of the film apart from the dance-numbers is the hare-brained Lena Lamont, hysterically played by Hagen. Her delivery is impeccable, with perhaps the most memorable lines. (Including the scene with her speech therapist) 5) The rest fill up the minute crevices in the film. The surly director, Lamont's speech therapist (perhaps an aspiring but failed actress herself in the film) etc. solidify the movie.
The most alluring aspect is its replay value, as I've seen it four times in 3 days, not just being enticed by the flashing lights but being educated on the fiascos the poor actors of the 20s had to endure. Singing in the Rain is everything; the granddaddy of musicals. I'll take one step further and say it's one of the best movies in film history. Its efforts have paid indeed. And its infinitely better than that overrated Casablanca.