Dear Internet,
It has
been a while since I covered a musical.
"K-On!" does not count despite what the tags claim. The last one, and only one now that I think
about it, was "Funny Girl" some 60 entries ago. You can go back and reread that if you
want. I only wanted to point out how in
frequent musicals seem to appear on this Backlog despite their importance in
film and stage. It is no secret that the
American musical film has come and gone.
The golden age of musicals is long gone and will most likely not come
back anytime soon. The logistics and
cost are a headache. The audiences do
not clamor for them like they once did. A
public that places less emphasis on lyrics and melody but want only as much as
a "nice beat" do not want to watch a musical. They want a drum line, not a song that can be
sung in the shower or in the rain.
"Singin'
in the Rain" is a musical first and foremost. Secondly, it is a story about the transition
from silent films to talkies in the late 20s and early 30's. Somewhere in all of that is a love story, but
I suppose it is important, so I will talk about it. Don Lockwood is a major actor in Hollywood
who plays alongside leading lady, Lina Lamont.
Both are silent film stars, although Don has a skillful background in vaudeville
and show business. Not a successful one,
but he has more experience in more types of entertainment than Lina. After the premier of their newest film, the
two along with a number of studio brass and employees watch a presentation of a
short recording that makes use of synchronized audio alongside a projection. Also at the party, Don meets with Kathy
Selden, a dancer who had just snubbed Don when he tried to put the moves on
her. A few days pass, and Warner
Brothers puts out "The Jazz Singer," the first fully talkie
film. It is a monster of a hit, and
Don's studio decides to rework the film he is working on into a talkie as
well. The biggest problem is that Lina
has got the voice of a screeching cat.
Reenter Kathy, who not only is able to help the situation but also works
her way into Don's heart.
Like I
said before, "Singin' in the Rain" is a musical first. There are a number of songs spread
throughout, and dance numbers are just as plenty. The extravagance of Broadway even gets a
chance to be injected into the film. From flashy costumes to giant scenes, the film
knows how to splurge on the showmanship.
Unlike modern films that explicitly are aiming at making themselves look
realistic and hope to draw in the viewer with promises of "immersion,"
golden era musicals were all about the glitz and glamour. There was no attempt to make it seem like anything
but a performance for the audience. The
fact that the film is a Hollywood depiction of Hollywood can be argued that it
is just a self glorification, but that would be ignoring at how much the film
pokes fun at itself. Take the character
of Lina. She cannot act, sing, or dance
at all. The only reason she is even in show
business is because of her looks. The
studio brass knows this and forbid her from talking to prevent the audience
from finding out she has a voice as pleasant as a jingling tin can filled with
nails. On top of that is the fake
relationship that the studio brass creates in the papers of her and Don. If the film was a self glorification of
Hollywood, it cannot poke fun at itself, lest it poke holes.
The
transition from silent films to talkies was one of the biggest transitions that
the movie industry had to see through. Next
to it would have to be, in no particular order, the transition from monochrome
to color, the Hays code, and possibly the introduction of 3D filming. Time will tell if that last one makes any
dent, but from a technical standpoint it is a hurdle that directors have to
think about unless they want their films to look like generic
paddleball-to-the-eye 3D movies. The
transition to talkies caused a number of actors to fade from the public
view. Once the audience learned that the
person was just a pretty face, they had trouble getting roles and jobs on
screen. For those working behind the
camera, numerous things had to be either reworked or had to be figured out to
make the most of it. "Singin'"
points these out in the scenes where Lina fails to say her lines in the
direction of the hidden microphone. The
problems are also showcased in the preview showing of Don and Lina's film. The sound effects are too loud and the dialog
is mostly mute and muffled. The film
makes humor on the topic while at the same time showcasing the real problems
that an industry had to overcome.
Thankfully the invention of the boom-mic came along.
Another
thing that the film addresses is the creation and execution of the
over-dub. Studios, for the longest time,
would have the actor say their lines and act out their role for the majority of
the film. When it got time for them to
sing, another person's voice would be recorded over their own. Many musicals have such a difference in the
voice change that it can be instantly noticeable. Even if the voice is not over-dubbed by
another person, the majority of musicals still need to be recorded again off
screen. Take the iconic scene of Don
performing the titular song as he dances in the rain. The man had a fever, was splashing loudly,
and was far away from any sort of microphone that could resist the gallons of
water that was pouring down. If his
voice could even be heard, it was most likely so distorted that it would have
to be scrapped. Only a sound booth
recording dubbed over his performance could allow him to be heard. Few films have live singing on scene that is
used in the final cut. The recent
"Les Miserables" is one such film.
Thankfully, "Singin'" has excellent actors that do not need to
be dubbed by other people.
The
most important aspect of the film has got to be the entertainment value. As I said, musicals are generally meant to be
seen as a performance rather than an immersion filled film. The fact that people are spontaneously bursting
out into song and dancing is a reality breaker.
So, the film has to entertain the audience with those reality breaking
segments. Between the titular song,
"Make 'Em Laugh," and "Good Morning" the film knows what
the audience wants and needs. They want
songs. They need songs that can be sung,
or at least hummed. "Singin'"
delivers this in stride. The songs are
catchy and have lasting ability. On top
of that, the choreography for the songs is able to express the joy that is in
the characters. There are a few tap-dancing
segments that show off the main cast's ability while still breaking that wall
of immersion.
 |
| That is a scarf right there that is over 30ft. |
What
else can I say about "Singin' in the Rain" that has not already been
said? It has withstood the test of time
easily. There are plenty of lists that
award it a top place or near to it. It
is a feel-good film. There are no
brooding harsh realities being thrown into the audience's face. There is gleefulness abounding. And that is a good thing. While not escapism, "Singing'" is a
brief sidestep that reminds the viewer of good old fashioned fun.
Yours in digital,
BeepBoop
P.S. Next is the "Ghost in the Shell" film.
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