Simple Entertainment

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While watching Singing in the Rain and Sherlock Jr. I couldn’t help but feel good inside. Neither of these movies have very much meaning to them, and that is perfectly fine. I understand that Singing in the Rain has a love story attached to it, but there really is no deeper meaning other than an entertaining story. The fact that these stories have a simple purpose was actually very refreshing to me and made me like them even more.

In present times there is such an emphasis on a detailed story line and overly complicated characters. Movies that are created purely for entertainment get destroyed by the critics and are not taken seriously. I was very happy to be reminded the real reason that film was created and why people fell in love with the art. These films were created to make people feel good, and that is exactly what they do.

In Singing in the Rain we are presented a light-hearted story of a man who came from nothing to become a famous actor. This story takes place during the introduction of “talkies”. While we may see this new technology as revolutionary, many actors/actresses of the time felt threatened by it. They had never had to use their voices, let alone memorize/recite lines so it is easy to see where they were coming from. The film definitely plays on this change in the industry by showing us actors/actresses in the midst of the transition. The humor that comes from basing the film around this transition is gold. The character of Lina Lamont is the one most negatively affected by this change. Before the introduction of talkies, Lina was a big star on the screen. She was very pretty, but had a rather obnoxious voice. When her producer and director were thinking about her role in their new film with sound, it hit them rather suddenly how their audience would react.

This simple humor has a special place and should not be overlooked. When not having to tax your brain with a complicated story line, you are able to truly appreciate the humor that comes with a movie like this. Not only does this movie have some great humor, but it also pleases our senses with great scenes of song and dance. It is interesting to me to think that this song and dance aspect of film used to be commonplace in multiple genres. Today, we rarely see an actor break out into song or dance unless it is in a musical. But, I was pleasantly reminded of how enjoying it is to watch someone who is a professional in the art, perform a well-orchestrated dance on stage. This kind of entertainment truly showcases how film is art in many different ways. It is not always about the great dialogue between characters, or the insane plot twist that leaves you scratching your head, but sometimes it is really just about the good feelings that come from watching a simple, humorous piece of entertainment.

 

Jeremy Dahm

44 thoughts on “Simple Entertainment”

  1. Your post was charming. I completely agree, especially at the college level so much of the education we receive is focused finding that deeper meaning or the greater message. Knowing this, you can forget how to enjoy something for what it is, entertaining!

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  2. Your post hits it right on the money. It is definitely a feel-good entertaining and light-hearted movie and that is why it will remain in many peoples hearts no matter how old it gets. When the audience really pays attention to the substance of the movie, you realize that there is so much more to it than humor. Just by watching the dance routines you can see that the actors and choreographers put tons of work into the movie! The complicated dance routines, paired with the singing of songs and lines makes you think of how much work was put in to making this film a reality back then.

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  44. What an amazing article! I learned so much new information. The writing is very structured and easy to follow. Thank you for presenting such high-quality content!
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