The 1952 musical motion picture, Singing in the Rain, contains themes that are still relevant to our society sixty years later; Specifically, the film’s critique of the entertainment industry and the Hollywood lifestyle. The main message that the film is that not everything is how it seems in Hollywood. Each main character has some sort of façade that they hide behind. Don Lockwood and his partner Cosmo Brown hide behind a false backstory of privilege and wealth, when in reality, the two grew up poor and worked as traveling street performers. His love interest, Kathy Seldon, begins to make a living by voicing over the famous lip-syncing actress, Lina Lamont. When the film industry acquired the technology to add sound to their motion pictures, Lina’s high pitched, annoying voice became a threat to her reputation as an actress. Thus, Kathy was hired to be Lina’s “voice”, recording over Lina’s dialogue and singing in her films.
These instances of deception and scandal are used to portray the corruption of Hollywood in a humorous manner. It is interesting to watch a film that takes a stab at its’ own industry, especially during a time when the film industry was thriving and expanding. The things that Singing in the Rain depicted as wrong in Hollywood in the 1950’s can still be seen in Hollywood today. Actors with biographies written for PR campaigns, singers that are professional lip-syncers, and films with plots that you could predict in your sleep.
In some regard, Singing in the Rain foreshadowed what was to be modern-day Hollywood. I think that is one of the reasons that the film has had such a strong staying power over the years. It depicts a story about Hollywood that is relevant to our perceptions of Hollywood sixty years later. Hollywood hasn’t changed much since its’ golden age from whence this film came. The funny thing is: people consider Singing in the Rain to be from an era in which Hollywood was at its’ finest. While the films released at this time might have been of higher quality, Hollywood as an industry has always been somewhat corrupt and deceptive.
One scene that stuck out to me as a low blow to Hollywood was when the main character, Don Lockwood, was telling the reporter about his childhood. As Don describes his life from childhood through adulthood, the flashbacks of his life reveal that he is, in fact, from poverty. Don lying about his background is a direct jab at famous actors who exaggerate their backgrounds, or even flat out lie about it. The scene sends a message to the audience that says “in order to make it into Hollywood, you need to change yourself.” Powerful message for a 1952 major motion picture to send about its’ own industry; regardless of how true the statement may be.
I also really loved that Singin’ in the Rain acted as a critique on the film industry, and I agree that Hollywood still embodies the idea of “not everything is how it seems.” Society believes all these stories about actors and actresses, but they are entirely constructed by a team of people (agents, managers, publicists) to make them more desirable and relatable. I think society needs to realize that Hollywood and the film industry is entirely constructed and that no one is who they really are.
I really enjoyed your post about Singing in the rain. I definitely agree that it was interesting to watch a film that looks at certain pitfalls of the industry that it is in with a funny light. I thought it was an interesting look at when Don was recapping his childhood to tie that to the exaggeration of actors today. That was a connection that I didn’t really make.
You definitely hit the nail on the head when you were talking about how things from Singing in the Rain are still true about the Hollywood system today and that the lifestyle is similar, even 50 years later. I agree, not everything in Hollywood is how it seems from the outside. That is why movies are starting to try and poke fun at themselves and the industry. With Don talking about his come up into the industry, I think it is a valid test to see how the actors today got to where they are at. Why can’t they just say that they come from a poor family or anything like that? Is Hollywood as a system forcing them to lie about where they come from?
I think you make a very interesting point about how Singin in the Rain still illuminates the same sort of corruptions in Hollywood today. When I watched the movie I was focusing on it as a way to understand how Hollywood worked in the sixties. But now that you bring up the fact that a lot of what transpired in the movie is still relevant today makes the movie seem even more powerful and a lot more everlasting. I think it is ironic how so many years ago they were able to poke fun at themselves for the things in the industry that made no sense, like lying about their lives and their past. Yet, today we still see these same exact things happening. It’s like even when Hollywood is aware of the things wrong that they do they don’t seem to care to change their ways. This post was very insightful and definitely made me take a second look at what Singin in the Rain could reveal about Hollywood.
I really agree with the way you interpret the film with the Hollywood is. I never stopped to think about how it was foreshadowing how Hollywood is today and I couldn’t agree more. There is always lies that people are living behind in Hollywood and Singin’ in the Rain kind of shows us the real side of the film industry.
This post is really interesting to me because when I was watching the movie in class for the first time, I must say I never really noticed any of the things that you pointed out in your blog post. Thinking back now though I can see how Singin’ in the Rain somewhat foreshadows present day Hollywood. Hollywood is and will probably forever be a place that heavily relies on connections in the industry. These connections vary in ways that might help you get a part in a movie or cause someone else to lose their job like in the movie. Not everyone is corrupt in Hollywood but that does not mean there is not corruption. Which is why I agree with you to an extent about what you about how the scene is a message for Hollywood to change itself.
I am very happy I read your post, it gave me a totally different perspective on the film. I looked at this film as more of a happy-go-lucky piece of entertainment, but you bring up excellent points about the politics being discussed. While on the surface this film seems to be about singing and dancing, with not really much of a plot, there are definitely some jabs being thrown at the industry itself. I am now kind of interested to know the backgrounds of the actors who participated in this film to see where they say they came from!
A very witty and thorough perspective of a Hollywood classic, I cannot have reviewed it any better than yourself. As well, the correlation between the film culture of the 20th and 21st Centuries was very well analyzed, because the characteristics are similar but obviously the contemporary culture gets too indulge technology and special effects, potentially diminishing the aesthetic value, as you mentioned so eloquently. All in all, this review has exceptional insight, and my post is dumb, idiotic bullshit compared to yours. Once again, I appreciated your review!!
I really enjoyed your commentary on how this film reflects some aspects of Hollywood that we still see today. It’s interesting to think that a movie made in such a different time can still so accurately depict and industry that has changed drastically since it was made. I completely agree with your comments on Hollywood today, with so many fake façades and silly plots that are predictable and boring. I quite honestly can’t even remember the last time I watched a movie that surprised me, and yet no one is complaining. People continue to see these same movies over and over until something wakes them up, and I think the goal of the characters in the film in some way was to do exactly that.
Your argument that modern Hollywood is reflective of certain ideas brought up in Singin’ in the Rain is really interesting. It’s safe to assume that many Hollywood stars in modern society have drastically different personal lives than most of us would assume. However, for most of them, we really don’t know the truth as much as we would like to assume. It’s likely that Justin Bieber secretly hates his life, but he doesn’t make it seem that way. If only there were a modern interpretation of this film with current Hollywood stars that we could compare it to. I guess that’s what the Kardashians are for.
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