Singin" in the Rain

As demonstrated in lecture, film is reflected into and reflects four parts of society--film as technology, film as a business, film as an art form, and film as a culture. Singin' in the Rain (1952) is a perfect representation of how film mirrors these four parts back onto themselves. It shows us the history of film as it transitioned from pre-1920s silent films to the musical boom in Hollywood of the late 20s. Film as an advancement of technology flips through each scene creating the major plot point of how the cinema will change when talking is added to the movement. Singin' told not only the history of how the technology transitioned but also how the business aspect of film had to develop to foster a new era of speaking not only on screen but between the stars and the producers. This is seen through the new relationship between the two stars and R. F. Simpson, the President of Monumental Pictures whose only desire is to make money. While the business and technological sides of film are very explicit in the plot, film as a culture or art form are more discreet and laced through the production as a homage to the earlier times of cinema. The importance of the 1929 musical culture boom is displayed on screen during the “Beautiful Girl Montage” as well as during the “Broadway Melody Ballet” by highlighting songs originally used in those movie musicals of the 1920s. This retool of music pays homage, but also brings the movie to a new height in movie art form by being able to take the collection of classic songs from the 1920s and blend them together to form a new movie. Singin’ is glamourizes the time when microphones enter movie sets, yet also seems to critique it at the same time by rehashing the songs in a grander and glitzier way. By integrating classic movie history like symbolic Douglas Fairbanks, the musical revamp of movies and the archetypal array of stars on a set, Singin’ in the Rainpresents a new type of movie—the eclectic romantic comedy with a background in historical accuracy.

Singin' in the rain used various songs from past musical productions, and songs. The broadway scene in Singin' in the rain is adopted from an original broadway production, but in comparison both aspects of the scene had different variations. In the original broadway scene, the singers and dancers are actually on a stage and performing a broadway show. The color is in black and white, and the music is lagging. While in Singin' in the rain, there are vibrant colors, the music was upbeat, and the pace of the scene was very fast. The Singin' in the rain version gave tribute to the original broadway show while adding a lot more flare.