Singing in The Rain: an Iconic Transition to Sound

Introduction

Singing in the Rain, one of the most popular musicals of all time with the cast of Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, is set in the late 20s, when the Hollywood during the silent era, meets audio technology. Singin’ in the Rain is a musical film that has been a model for its peers even though it has been half a century since its debut.

The Transition from Silent to Audible Films

The transition from silent to audible films began in the 1927s, although the technology was invented by Thomas Edison in the 1910s. At that time, the filmmakers felt that the sound films would not be successful and would not be held by the audience and even the inventor of technology, Edison, at the 1910 promotional meeting; “I don't think the audible films will be very successful” he said. In 1927, the great interest in Warner Bros’ film the Jazz Singer, the first audible film, was evidence of how wrong the filmmakers were. As an interest in the new audible film of rival Warner Bros’ the Jazz Singer, forced the producer to use this technique in his upcoming films. However, the stars of the silent era have no experience and training for audible films. They have to develop themselves and keep up with the age. In 1952, Singin’ in the Rain tells the story of some of the most famous artists of silent cinema trying to keep up with the sound film fury that began with the Jazz Singer. This film is a production with its entertaining scenes, long choreographies and an innocent love story. The movie seems to be reached the level of cult films with the intimate performances of the actors, the spectacular choreographies of dozens or just three, and the effects and techniques that have been quite successful over the period.

Storyline of Singing in the Rain

Don Lockwood has reached the top of his career as a result of years of stage performance. One day, a woman named Kathy loses her self-confidence when she claims that actors are characterless shadows. When this smart woman insults him, Don feels a weak spot for her. But Lina, the actor's selfish and sexy lover, has no intention of losing Don. The most impressive part is the scene of a man singing in the rain on the street. This cheerful musical, which is colorful and manages to awaken sweet feelings within us, is remembered by many as they dance with Don's black umbrella under the street lamp with a big smile on his face. During the shooting of this scene, Gene Kelly once again shows her successful acting despite her 39.4 fever. Another interesting information about this scene is that milk is mixed into the rain water in order to see the rain more clearly in the footages. There are many works in which rain brings sadness along with romantic feelings. The rain carries a little melancholic air in all of our lives due to both being influenced by artistic works and the pale thoughts we dive into the depths of our souls. I believe the film has established a solid place among the most important classics in the history of cinema in breaking the closed and abstaining feelings aroused by the rain.

Conclusion

Incredibly colorful and beyond the time, even timeless. Singin’ in the Rain is a sweet musical film that makes the viewer not able to understand how time passed while watching, makes us admire the dances of the actors, arouses the desire to play in musicals, presents us some of the curious elements of the period, the songs legend, colors and costumes. With the rhythms of the music, a dance performed with the sound of the soles creates a very nice harmony both visually and audibly. Of course, the characters did this very well in the film. Although the film is a musical, it is possible to divide musicals into different categories. The first is that even the speech scenes of the films are performed in the form of a musical song. Another type is the one as a standard film consistency, but in accordance with the flow of dances and songs have been added accordingly. I prefer the second one, because it has more arouses and degrades which keeps the viewers’ attention high from beginning to the end. Singin’ in the Rain is a great example of the second category, as the film flows in standart film consistency with dialogues while involving dances and songs. I believe this is one of the most significant features that make this film one of the best musical films in the history.

Works Cited

1. Crafton, D. (1999). The talkies: American cinema's transition to sound, 1926-1931. University of California Press.
2. Koszarski, R. (2009). An evening's entertainment: The age of the silent feature picture, 1915-1928. University of California Press.
3. Hirschhorn, C. (1983). The Hollywood musical. Crown Publishers.
4. Altman, R. (1987). The American film musical. Indiana University Press.
5. Green, S. (2014). Hollywood musicals, the film reader. Routledge.