Singing in the Rain: Humor Through Close-ups

Singing in the Rain falls under multiple genres; musical, comedy, and drama, because of this multiplicity of tones, it is sometimes difficult to know just how seriously to take the film. Obviously the film is first and foremost a musical but, as we discussed in class, musicals do not always signify the same tonality. The presence of song and dance does not mean the film will always be happy or lighthearted. With that said, if the viewer had to categorize this film, it would sooner be considered a comedy than a drama. However, with a closer reading, Singing in the Rain is quite serious and emotive in it’s messaging, despite this it still feels much more humorous than dramatic. The film tries to convey real morals and lessons, and yet the viewer is accustomed to laugh in almost every sequence. Despite the overt messages about true love, vanity, happiness, and honesty, this film feels more like a comedy than a drama.
When analyzing this film I noticed that the comic relief felt cyclical, it’s as though the writer and producer had discussed an equation for ensuring that the audience doesn’t take the film too seriously. One tool that is use it is the close-up shot. Through close distance shots, the film is able to check back in as a comedy whenever things start to feel too serious. Conversely, it is through medium and long shots that the tone is able to become less comical.
There are sequences where two emotions are often juxtaposed. For example, the opening sequence where Don and Lena are on the red carpet and Don blatantly lies to the crowd about his past. Without seeing the visuals of that scene it may not seem so obviously comical because that scene centers around self-doubt and dishonesty. However, when we watch the sequence, we are forced to believe in the humor of it because of the visual cues it conveys. The sequence begins with a medium shot and at that point the humor is not so blatant, the subject matter still feels relatively serious. As the camera zooms in to a close shot of Don, the tonality shifts and suddenly the viewer knows that it’s okay to laugh.
Through this film the viewer is almost trained by the close-up shots to know that it is time to laugh. This becomes increasingly apparent when we consider the role played by Cosmo, a character that embodies comic relief for the film. Cosmo is almost entirely seen through close-up shots, and there is an immediate urge to laugh anytime he is seen through the film. Through this use of shot distance, the viewers become even more accustomed to what the tonality of sequence is.
It seems that there are other tools used throughout the film to convey a sense of when the viewer should laugh and when they shouldn’t laugh, but to me the close-up shot felt like the most obvious and most frequent. There are so many moments throughout the piece where the subject matter is serious but the tonality is jovial, does anyone else have ideas of what might help sway that juxtaposition to feel more humorous than serious?

28 thoughts on “Singing in the Rain: Humor Through Close-ups

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