THERE'S NOTHING QUITE LIKE AN OLDIE! SINGIN IN THE RAIN

I’m not quite sure how I should describe this one. Of course we have all heard tell of “classical Hollywood”, right? Of course we have. Singin in the Rain is my idea of “classical – classical Hollywood”. You know how when someone says “picnic basket” we all think of that little wicker one with a red and white checked table cloth? That kind of classic. Or the brownies your Mom used to make. Now, you all have your own ideas concerning Hollywood. Some approve, some disapprove, some don’t really care. I personally respect all these views. But I can say, with confidence, that if you want to watch a fun romance with some wonderful, sparkling, all singing and all dancing numbers thrown in, Singin in the rain is the one for you…
In this little beauty Gene Kelly is Dan Lockwood a Hollywood actor (someone see a contradiction in there somewhere? Hehe) just at the end of the movies and the beginning of the “talkies”. That is the advent of sound in cinema folks. He is famous as part of a duo, his counterpart being Lina Lamont (Jen Hagen) an actress with whom he is linked in every way by everyone else but who he personally despises. Still, it is good for business, so while he does his best to make it in showbiz, he keeps the association as well. Until, that is he meets the love of his life, Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds) a girl from the chorus line, by no means a big name in Hollywood but he mistress of his heart all the same… However there are storm clouds on the horizon. Sound may well mean the death of the career of his acting partner, and with his heart now in someone else’s hands as well, Lina will stop at NOTHING to keep her claws on what is “rightly” hers…
I have mentioned this before and I will say it forever and anon, we all LOVE films about showbiz. Realistic or not, it feels like a little peek backstage. And it may give us the “comforting” feeling it’s not what it’s cracked up to be, not really. But still we flock back to those movies. So I predict you will love this little showbiz number, and not just for its gossip value. Intrigue and flying claws are a-plenty but then there is the singing and dancing. By God, the numbers… They really knew how to do it back then… One word of warning is, that to the uninitiated, some of the number may feel a touch too long, but really I found them worth watching. Check out the comic numbers by Donald O’Conner who we see as Dan’s inevitable best friend and sidekick. One of the most believable and “real” sidekicks I’ve seen in a while that one… Anyway, for the dancing a last point is that Gene Kelly himself was the choreographer – and I secretly feel that he made them out to show himself to the best advantage but there you go. He kinda deserves it too.
I mean, others among you may remark that the film lacks, well… Substance. And it is true, it is a a-typical boy meets girl movie with good songs and dancing thrown in. A bit like candy floss - lovely but well, slightly pointless. Then again, there is nothing at all wrong with a bit of candy floss from time to time. If you want to unplug for an hour or two and toe-tap to some good old fashioned tunes, this is your fella!