Singing in the rain!!!!!

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.