the last great american musical

Rating: 8/10 (25 October 2019)

Singin' in the Rain achieved only moderate success after its initial release. Though it was the tenth highest-grossing film of the year in the U.S., it did not show up in any "10 Best Pictures of the Year" list, and did not win any Academy Award. It achieved its current legendary success not through its box office or reviews, but through later critics that occupied university classrooms who acclaimed it as the "best Hollywood musical of all time." But while classics were often memorized along with their derivatives and influences, Singin' in the Rain, despite paid tribute by numerous later directors, was followed by the demise of classical era of musicals in Hollywood. Singin' in the Rain became not only the apogee of American musicals, but also one of the last great American musicals.
This embarrassing status was, of course, due partially to the development of American film industry. The 60s' witnessed the rise of the New Hollywood, in which the types of the films produced and the production of films differed distinctly from its classical counterparts. But the early 50s' was also a time period shadowed by the Hays Code and the blacklist, which jointly limited the space for artistic expression. If we trace farther, in the 50s' and the 20s', following the upshot of World Wars, the sphere of influence of the old Europe whittled down, while the U.S. became increasingly vocal in shaping world order. Even the center of the arts shifted from Paris to New York, due partially to the CIA, the secret sponsor of Jackson Pollock, the great new American artist.
In this context, the enduring success of Singin' in the Rain should be examined critically. Like lots of musical pictures, Singin' in the Rain was acclaimed for its spectacular score and visual effect, but its plots are far from flawless. For example, the role of Lina Lamont can represent every star fallen into oblivion in talkies era, but her fall, despite her beauty and acting skills, was justified by emphasizing her hubris. Don is just another male actor that makes far more money than his female coworkers and is adored by literally everyone surrounding him. Kathy makes her way up to the top through, well, her great singing skills and a male actor's favor. This is just the same old Hollywood that has been predominated by gender inequality, where men always have a place and can even determine (under a benign disguise) the fate of women.
Kathy, at first sight untamable, was eventually incorporated into Hollywood. Singin' in the Rain markets the splendor of Hollywood by appearing as honest as it could be, which did leave a great impression on audience with its kaleidoscopic scenes and heartfelt revelation of the true feelings. As the Tiller Girls, lamented by Jewish intellectuals as the quintessential mass culture, proudly presented in Singin' in the Rain, it was inevitable American mass culture achieved its status in postwar world. In 1956, Jackson Pollock committed suicide; in the 60s', Andy Warhol became another great American artist. Hail American pop culture, for all its greatness and the rot within.