MovieChat Forums > Singin' in the Rain (1952) Discussion > Major problem (though I love the film)

Major problem (though I love the film)

posted 7 years ago by lubin-freddy
2 replies | jump to latest

The "Beautiful Girls" sequence, especially what we see before it settles into the song, is not the kind of musical they were filming then, even BEFORE Don and Lena begin working on their "talkie". We see a boom above the singer, which they didn't think of when dealing with Lena's "where's-the-mike" problem. To say nothing of the generic style, where we see Busby Berleley-esque mise-en-scene.

The film is wonderful entertainment, almost unflawed. But it shouldn't be used by film teachers dealing with the early sound era, unless they strongly qualify much of what is presented (such as, with another example, the immediate closing down of the studios, not recognizing that the process was more gradual.

What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence.

[–] Trax-3 7 years ago

Fashion show numbers certainly existed in early 2-colour musicals (let's say around 1929). I've seen a clip on Youtube a few years ago that might have been a direct inspiration.

The film is probably more interested in making fun of the early sound era than in strict accuracy.

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[–] murph24 7 years ago

...But it shouldn't be used by film teachers dealing with the early sound era, unless they strongly qualify much of what is presented (such as, with another example, the immediate closing down of the studios, not recognizing that the process was more gradual.

We have to remember that "Singin in the Rain" is, first and foremost, a spoof; while it contains elements of realism, I assume any educators using the film in a classroom setting will be aware the film was never intended to be a documentary of Hollywood's changing landscape.

That being said, I think it gives audiences a more comprehensive portrait of Hollywood's transition from silent pictures to the sound era than other films dealing with the subject, including the Oscar-winning Best Picture of 2011, "The Artist."

As for the "Beautiful Girls" numbers, connoisseurs of the film will know that sequence was mainly intended to spotlight Hollywood fashions of the era; the costumes for that scene were based on actual designs worn by Lilyan Tashman, a movie star of the period who was considered the epitome of chic.