There are many different lenses to examine the musical, “Singin’ in the Rain,” through. However one I find most fascinating is looking at the film as a social commentary of sorts or in other words viewing the film as a social history. The musical was produced in the early 1950s yet the narrative takes place in the late 1920s. The film sheds some light on how people in the fifties viewed life in the late twenties. Yes, it is a typical Hollywood Golden Age film, with a good guy bad guy conflict and happy ending resolution where the protagonist wins. That being said I think beneath the elaborate dance scenes and lighthearted love story is a comment about society in 1927 in the eyes of the people living in 1952.
The film begins with a crowd screaming and cheering for a celebrity couple they have no legitimate relationship with. The fact that the crowd has no personal connection with the couple is further displayed when one of the protagonists takes on the role as narrator. The story he reveals to his adoring fans is not the story we viewers are seeing on screen or what can be inferred as the truth. Don Lockwood paints an ideal image of a young couple falling in love in the midst of gaining stardom. Yet what the viewer sees is a rude starlet, the antagonist, Lina Lamont, who could careless about humble up and coming star Mr. Lockwood. The adoring fans are so overwhelmed by this charming love story, one even faints. Although moments before when honest Cosmo steps out of the car the fans are disappointed and uninterested in what he has to say. What this scene highlights is the idea that people in the late twenties responded better to a false glamorous reality than a less than picture perfect truth.
Later the conflict arises when lead actress Lina’s voice doesn’t sound pleasant in movies; Kathy steps in and does the voice over for Lina’s character. Again, a false reality, audiences didn’t respond well to what the actual film would have been, with Lina’s horrific voice. They mockingly laughed when the original film with her voice was premiered. The filmgoers didn’t appreciate a star they adore sounding slightly less than charming. This reflects the theme that filmgoers in the twenties love an “image” of a reality in contrast to actual reality. Throughout the whole film the goal of the studio is to manipulate the truth. Audiences want more “talkies”, or sound films, and it’s up to the film studio to create a “talkie” out of a silent film they have already created, thus the need to use Kathy’s voice.
The narrative of the film creates layers of false realities. The first being that the twenties were a time of fast paced fun. People were uninterested in the truth, what they admired was a reality filled with sparkle and luxurious furs. They gave a standing ovation for the “Dancing Cavalier” when Kathy’s voice was used and drooled over the romantic love story Don Lockwood gushed in the beginning of the film. The next layer is a critique on the film industry overall. “Singin’ in the Rain” is a musical about making a musical. The viewer witnesses how easy it is for films to alter the actuality of the situation. The Studio had no issue just simply using Kathy’s voice over for the movie if it meant the musical would be a success. Film plays many roles in society and in the late 1920’s ,“Singin’ in the Rain,” implies that film’s main purpose was to make money. Studios created what they thought audiences wanted to see. In this case audiences weren’t looking for authenticity but instead were searching for an enchanting tale of love and success.
I think your critique of Singin’ in the Rain is very interesting, but I suspect that the “social history” you are analyzing is supposed to be representative of Hollywood’s whole history, not just the 1920s. Your commentary about the relationship of an everyday fan to stardom could easily be said about movie stars today. People of all generations respond to sensationalized stories better than the complicated truth, not just during the 1920s.
I also think it’s interesting that you suggest Singin’ is critiquing the 1920s Hollywood practice of making films that will be financially successful. The same thing could be said about Singin’ in the Rain. It is upbeat and happy throughout, contains numerous musical numbers, never deals with any serious topics facing society, and provides simple character archetypes for the audience to grasp onto. All of these combined to make a quite entertaining, successful Hollywood film. The studio probably created what they thought audiences wanted to see, an enchanting tale of love and success.
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