How musicals should be!

Rating: 9/10 (18 April 2005)

There are a very small, select number of films, which stand the test of time and will live on forever. One such film is 'Singing in the Rain'. Made in 1952, much of the Hollywood satire found in the film is still relevant to the star system and studio structure of Tinsel Town today. Gene Kelly puts in an unforgettable performance as the all-singing, all-dancing, Don Lockwood.
The story follows a group of Hollywood filmmakers, making the transition from the silent movies of yester-year into the new age of talking-film. With a little help from his friends Lockwood turns a terrible formulaic studio picture into a show stopping musical.
This is one of those films that everyone should go back to and watch again. It is a fantastic reminder of how the musical genre used to be, and should be! It also struck me as surprisingly historical, charting the introduction of the talking-movies and the initial public and professional reaction to it. Watching this film will remind you of the heart-warming, lifting feeling that many modern films just fail to deliver. If anyone can resist the urge to smile and laugh during Donald O'Connor's fantastic performance of 'Make 'em laugh' then it would be a very sorry day indeed! If it is an achievement to get your audience on the edge of their seat then this film surpasses that achievement because I was very close to dancing on mine!!!