Singing in the rain is a film about the transition in the film industry from silent films to talking pictures. Silent film actress Lina Lamont played by Jean Hagen is very popular film start that is struggling to make the transitions to talking pictures, I don’t know if it was the Jean Hagen brilliance or her natural voice but when she first spoke it was truly awful. The director really capture’s the fact that whatever she is saying in the silent films we really don’t want to hear. Another key concept that I took away from this movie is that without sound the actors and actress are just shadows on the screen, and if you have seen one silent film you have seen them all.
One of the best scenes in the film is when Gene Kelley is describing the modern number in the film and when he sees the woman from across the room and the musical number goes all instrumental and is a great metaphor for that and how important sound is to film.
With well placed, music, acting, and good script all working together you can tell your story to the audience and singing in the rain is a great example of that. Without the sound all movies would be the same.
I agree that the director captured that fact Jean Hagen voice was truly for silent film. I find it interesting how the studio owner and the cast never let her speak in the beginning of the movie and that worked seamlessly with being a silent film actress. When the studio decided to use sound this changed her ability to keep silent in the public and on screen. When sound was used in the making of the film, is when I notice how important sound is to movies.
ReplyDeleteThis movie did seem to let us know that looks can't get you everywhere. Music in the right spots can really make a move however, I say this as a bigger music fan than a movie fan. The looks that Jean Hagen was giving in the beginning of the movie, when they were all going in for the reviews said more than her shrill voice could ever say for me. The director seemed to portray her personality in looks from the start.
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