I wouldn't kick Gene Kelly out of bed for eating crackers

I can't remember the last film that kept me grinning from beginning to end. But Singin' In The Rain did just that. I found myself giggling and laughing out loud, as well.

Cosmo was wonderful. His physical humor was wonderful. The choreography was perfect, as was his dancing. Cosmo is obviously the sidekick of the main character, but he still demanded attention during scenes such as when he did three back flips off the walls. The chemistry between the two of them, as pointed out by Paul Beverly in class, was phenomenal. In my opinion, they could have been the only two characters in the movie and it still would have been just as enjoyable. We didn't even really need the love story.

I think it was very appropriate that we watched this film the day after the Oscars. The whole beginning scene, where everyone was fawning over the celebrities, screaming and fainting, was very much like how people treat celebrities at awards shows. Now, I didn't watch the Oscars, but I can imagine how the reporters and talk show hosts were treating the celebrities as they passed by. I really liked that a lot of this film is a satire of Hollywood and actors.

I guess I didn't really think about what we talked about in class; the reality vs. illusion of Hollywood and the characters. I mean, it was obvious that the movie was a movie about making movies... The people were acting as actors, we saw the process of making a silent movie as well as the process of making talkies. We saw the microphones and the cameras and the staff. We saw the difficulties that existed in the transition from silent films to talkies.

However, with more thought, I do see how the opening scene lays out the contradiction between illusion and reality. Don told the adoring audience about his exciting and glamor-filled past, while we, the real audience, were shown the true imagines of Don's past. I understood the point of that scene and it made me think of what today's celebrities are really like when they are not on stage for us. Do Brad and Angelina really love having so many children? Do they actually engage with them and care for them? Or do they just toss them to their nannies and go off and make their movies, while only spending time with their kids when they are doing a magazine spread?

The scene where Don confesses his love to Kathy, when he needs the right lighting and the fan blowing and her dress is ridiculously flowy, is an obvious satire about actors not knowing how to be real people. I was watching the movie The Aviator the other day and Howard Hughes and Katherine Hepburn were arguing. He asked her if she even knows when she is acting or not anymore. I think that's appropriate, since Don couldn't even stand there normally with Kathy to tell her how he felt. He had to turn it into a performance.

One of my favorite scenes in the film is when Don and Lina are acting for the silent film, The Duelling Cavalier, set in France. They are supposed to be in love and they have to look like they are acting lovey dovey, but really, they are saying awful things to each other. I thought that was hilarious.

Gene Kelly was terrific (and a bit of a stud). He was very enjoyable as Don Lockwood. His character was lovable, his dancing flawless and his singing was great. All around, Gene Kelly was a perfect fit for this role. Besides John Wayne in Stagecoach, Gene Kelly in Singin' In The Rain is my favorite lead male that we have seen so far. And Debbie Reynolds was a great female counterpart. Her character was charming and intelligent and talented. I really enjoyed their banter in the beginning of the film. I guess I really like sarcastic, fun relationships between men and women.

In Feuer's piece, he says that "Lina is associated with the dishonesty of silent cinema, which fools audiences into thinking that actors are what they appear to be; Kathy is associated with the authenticity of musical performance in which singing and speaking always come 'from the heart'". So is that what the movie makers were trying to accomplish? Are they saying that old, silent movies are dishonest, while the new exciting musicals are honest? Or are they saying that Hollywood in itself is dishonest? Because, afterall, Debbie Reynolds did not do all of her singing and dancing for the film...

In class, it was stated that a lot of the jokes and musical numbers and physical comedy were out of place. I totally disagree. I thought the songs were great and as appropriate as any musical number would be in a movie... I also adored Cosmo and Don's dancing in scenes such as "Make 'Em Laugh" and "Moses Supposess". They didn't seem unneeded. For this type of film, I thought they were appropriate and entertaining.