Singing in the rain is and always will be one of the all time Hollywood greats ever made in modern cinema. With intricately crafted numbers like "Fit as a fiddle and ready for love", "Good mornin'" and even the show's namesake, "Singing in the rain", Singing in the rain will go down as one of the most beautifully crafted musicals in Hollywood. In each and every musical sequence, directors Stanley Donan and Gene Kelly pays detailed attention to every aspect of the mise-en-scene, from the choreography, costumes, setting, all the way to the lyrics and placement.
In this essay, i especially want to highlight some of these songs which I find particularly intriguing. Interestingly, each and every song is perfectly placed at every important junction or turning point, to highlight the plot points the director intends to carry through. The first song I want to highlight is the song "Fit as a fiddle and ready for love". In this beautifully choreographed number, we see Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor dancing on stage in a vaudeville fashion. This number serves to further exemplify the point Gene Kelly's character was trying to make, that his rise to fame had always been based on dignity. Ironically, in this number, instead of dignity, we see Gene Kelly making a fool of himself for the audience's entertainment. The brilliant choreography seen here, while at the same time comic, is actually quite degrading. In fact, this is a stab at how Hollywood in actual fact is all a big lie, where so many things are made up to be more than what they are. Furthermore, this piece serves to introduce us to the two main protagonists in the movie, to show us who they really are on the inside, and their journey to achieving fame. Also, this piece injects a burst of energy into the audience, helping this film start off on a high note.
As the film progresses, we come across another brilliant number "Good mornin'". In this uplifting number, we see our 3 protagonists at their lowest point in the film, where Gene Kelly is facing the end of his career with the flopped debut of his first talking picture, the "Dueling Cavalier". At the beginning of this number, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor renews his hopes by suggesting he turn the "Dueling Cavalier" into the "Dancing Cavalier". The mise-en-scene is extraordinary here, where the weather changes from being dark and rainy to the dawn of a new day. The title of this song, "Good mornin'" also carries a double meaning where it is not just simply a greeting, but a celebration of a truly good morning. In this piece, the choreography is in itself brilliant. As the characters are dancing, they move from room to room, exuding energy, and to an extend,of being boyish maybe. This type of choreography reminds us of the same boyish energy in the first number of this movie "Fit as a fiddle and ready for love", telling the audience that Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor are still the same inside, although their standing in Hollywood has changed. This boyish theme is repeatedly seen throughout the entire length of the film, for instance also in numbers such as "Moses Supposes" and "Make Em' Laugh". This boyish theme is interspaced with a couple of more mature numbers all the way up till "Singing in the Ran", signifying the internal struggle Gene Kelly had in choosing between boyish playfulness and the maturity of being in love.
Lastly, we come to the film's titular song, "Singing in the rain". This is a brilliant brilliant masterpiece by Gene Kelly. In the beginning of this number, Gene Kelly motions to his driver to drive off, and in this, incorporates his symbolized move away from the need of the adoration of the people to the sole adoration of Debbie Reynolds. In a way, this is actually the most romantic song in the whole movie. In that simple gesture of sending his driver off, he metaphorically walked away from his previously glamorous Hollywood life into the simplicity of the rain. In a way, he is also walking away from the love and adoration of many to needing the sole love from Debbie Reynolds. As the song progresses, Gene Kelly waves and smiles to random strangers he meets. After awhile, he simply loses his umbrella, in a way symbolizing his desire to break free from the normal constrains of Hollywood, that a big movie star should carry himself in a certain way. The symmetry of the film is also starkly ironic, in a hypocritical way, the very same man who previously bragged about the way he lived with dignity, was now without a trace of it. The mise-en-scene in this number is also very powerful. Water is used abundantly an freely drenching Gene Kelly from head to toe. Traditionally, water has been a symbol of purification, freedom and also life. And if we observe closely, we can see his energy and liveliness growing the wetter he gets, as if the rain soaking him is actually energizing him, renewing him.
This particular sequence represents a crucial plot point in the story, where it marks his transition from a boy into a man, yet not a man who is constantly wearing a mask, but one who carries his boyish energy with him. In a way, this is the most romantic number because it shows how Gene Kelly is actually in ecstasy following his kiss with Debbie Reynolds. In this, he finally establishes himself as a man, no longer needing to hide behind a mask. As a result, he finally manages to break free from the bondages of the Hollywood circuit, instead directing all his attention and love towards her. Through the blissful choreography, we see that he no longer cares about anything for nor want anything else besides her love.
Monday, 24 October 2011
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
ET 12: Feminist Critique of Busby Berkeley
In the 1930's directer Busby Berkeley reinvented musicals on film media. By designing elaborate production numbers featuring hundreds of chorus girls dancing and singing, he essentially created a new form of musicals. Never before have actors been used in such a way. By drawing from the burlesque elements of the previous decade, Busby Berkeley manages to combine film, acting and dancing in such a way that no one has ever seen before. Of course, such a media would have its fair share of audiences too, in effect, throngs of men were drawn into movie theaters by "musicals" like these.
The 1941 production Ziegfield Girl is a classic example of director Busby Berkeley new and innovative style. Because of movies like these, the Ziegfield Follies were iconized as the sex symbols of their day. In the number "You Stepped Out of a Dream", the women are portrayed as beautiful and mysterious, fanning and arousing the male desire. In closer analysis, we can see that Busby Berkeley only selected the most perfect looking women to be casted in this number, and this was to serve the purpose of creating the illusion that all women were perfect, unblemished and beautiful. The wardrobe used in this number also served to enhanced that illusion. By dressing the women in long flowing white robes and dresses, paired with puffy ribbons and elaborate outfits, Busby Berkeley manages to enhance the appeal of the women, making them look surreal and exaggerated. The ever smiling facial expression of the women in the movie further solidifies the illusion the director was trying to create. But more interestingly, was the choreography and the lighting used in the sequence. More often than not, the women waltzed down a long spiral staircase, always coming from somewhere higher up. The women were also lit in a way that made them look glowing, radiant and exuding beauty. This often made them look like they were surrounded but a glowing halo, to the extend that one might even say, angelic?
At the same time, a number of the scenes were intercut with shots of men, decent, upper class, respectable men, seated among the audience, ogling silently at the bevy of beauties thrown at them. This in itself perverts the entire sequence. Through these scenes, we see the true intent of the director. These men who were watching were in fact living out their secret fantasies and fetishes, to which the society at that time vehemently rejected. The thought of pure, upright gentlemen indulging in their fantasies of row after row of beautiful showgirls, taunting them, enticing them and arousing them were a strict no-no. Even more so, the subject of a person, in this case the women, doing something solely for the viewer's pleasure was extremely taboo in a society where women were expected to be well mannered and gentle. The idea of women too having a raving sex drive was too outrageous to be accepted. On the other hand, if a movie like this were to be made about men in our society today, it would still be difficult to accept. This is because at the very least men are expected to retain their dignity and abstain from such acts which demean their self worth. Furthermore, the thought of women enjoying such a film would be disgusting to say the least. Yet if the tables were turned, and such a movie was made of men, it would seem unacceptable and demeaning. Therein lies the sexism within our society.
By portraying women in this manner, they are objectified into nothing more than sex objects to arouse men's pleasure. This is especially so when Busby Berkeley portrays women in this film as monotonous creatures with only one emotion, thereby removing the human element from them. In addition, the sexual objectification also starts when the women in the sequence proudly parade their body in front of crowds of ogling men, tantalizingly flashing their long legs and sultry smiles. Not only does this make the men feel less like voyeurs but more like participants, simultaneously removing the guilt of watching such a indecent performance by making it seem like the women enjoy what they are doing. Such scenes are hauntingly similar to the burlesque erotism of the previous decade where bevies of beautiful women shamelessly fault their chops for the viewing pleasure of men. Although subtle, many of these techniques and details in the number slowly but surely demean and reduce the worth of a woman and her sexuality. This film brings to light many new age ideologies such as that a women's worth only lies in her sexuality. Indirectly, this film set in motion the downward spiral of a women's worth. Younger and younger generations of girls are brought up thinking that their worth lies in their beauty and sexuality.
To close, we take a look at a Kylie Minogue music video. In terms of production and filmography, it is very similar to Busby Berkeley's work. In the music video, many similar lightning techniques, wardrobe and choreography were used. While it definitely enhances the sex appeal of Kylie Minogue, it is however completely different from what we have seen the Busby Berkeley's work. Instead of serving as an erotism fantasy, the techniques used in the music video simply serve to create an air of mystery and beauty around her, and enhances the audience's focus on the lead character in contrast to Ziegfield Girls where it served to arouse desire of the male audience.
The 1941 production Ziegfield Girl is a classic example of director Busby Berkeley new and innovative style. Because of movies like these, the Ziegfield Follies were iconized as the sex symbols of their day. In the number "You Stepped Out of a Dream", the women are portrayed as beautiful and mysterious, fanning and arousing the male desire. In closer analysis, we can see that Busby Berkeley only selected the most perfect looking women to be casted in this number, and this was to serve the purpose of creating the illusion that all women were perfect, unblemished and beautiful. The wardrobe used in this number also served to enhanced that illusion. By dressing the women in long flowing white robes and dresses, paired with puffy ribbons and elaborate outfits, Busby Berkeley manages to enhance the appeal of the women, making them look surreal and exaggerated. The ever smiling facial expression of the women in the movie further solidifies the illusion the director was trying to create. But more interestingly, was the choreography and the lighting used in the sequence. More often than not, the women waltzed down a long spiral staircase, always coming from somewhere higher up. The women were also lit in a way that made them look glowing, radiant and exuding beauty. This often made them look like they were surrounded but a glowing halo, to the extend that one might even say, angelic?
At the same time, a number of the scenes were intercut with shots of men, decent, upper class, respectable men, seated among the audience, ogling silently at the bevy of beauties thrown at them. This in itself perverts the entire sequence. Through these scenes, we see the true intent of the director. These men who were watching were in fact living out their secret fantasies and fetishes, to which the society at that time vehemently rejected. The thought of pure, upright gentlemen indulging in their fantasies of row after row of beautiful showgirls, taunting them, enticing them and arousing them were a strict no-no. Even more so, the subject of a person, in this case the women, doing something solely for the viewer's pleasure was extremely taboo in a society where women were expected to be well mannered and gentle. The idea of women too having a raving sex drive was too outrageous to be accepted. On the other hand, if a movie like this were to be made about men in our society today, it would still be difficult to accept. This is because at the very least men are expected to retain their dignity and abstain from such acts which demean their self worth. Furthermore, the thought of women enjoying such a film would be disgusting to say the least. Yet if the tables were turned, and such a movie was made of men, it would seem unacceptable and demeaning. Therein lies the sexism within our society.
By portraying women in this manner, they are objectified into nothing more than sex objects to arouse men's pleasure. This is especially so when Busby Berkeley portrays women in this film as monotonous creatures with only one emotion, thereby removing the human element from them. In addition, the sexual objectification also starts when the women in the sequence proudly parade their body in front of crowds of ogling men, tantalizingly flashing their long legs and sultry smiles. Not only does this make the men feel less like voyeurs but more like participants, simultaneously removing the guilt of watching such a indecent performance by making it seem like the women enjoy what they are doing. Such scenes are hauntingly similar to the burlesque erotism of the previous decade where bevies of beautiful women shamelessly fault their chops for the viewing pleasure of men. Although subtle, many of these techniques and details in the number slowly but surely demean and reduce the worth of a woman and her sexuality. This film brings to light many new age ideologies such as that a women's worth only lies in her sexuality. Indirectly, this film set in motion the downward spiral of a women's worth. Younger and younger generations of girls are brought up thinking that their worth lies in their beauty and sexuality.
To close, we take a look at a Kylie Minogue music video. In terms of production and filmography, it is very similar to Busby Berkeley's work. In the music video, many similar lightning techniques, wardrobe and choreography were used. While it definitely enhances the sex appeal of Kylie Minogue, it is however completely different from what we have seen the Busby Berkeley's work. Instead of serving as an erotism fantasy, the techniques used in the music video simply serve to create an air of mystery and beauty around her, and enhances the audience's focus on the lead character in contrast to Ziegfield Girls where it served to arouse desire of the male audience.
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