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?

Ironically, the most memorable scene in Singin’ in the Rain, in my opinion, is one that studio head R.F. Simpson says he “can’t quite visualize.”

The scene begins with a close-up of a spinning roulette wheel paired with non-diegetic orchestra music, building up the intensity by increasing both the energy and volume. Through a dolly zoom the frame widens and the camera appears to be on a jib crane as it positions to a high angle and establishes the interior: tables are set around the room with white tablecloths and candles, the men wear tuxedos and the women are dressed in flashy colorful dresses. The ballroom floor is filled with couples dancing under a chandelier. After five full spinning rotations, the dancers pause in unison and turn their attention towards Don Lockwood as he enters the room. From a medium shot, Don hands his hat to the hostess and continues to greet people in the room, shown through backwards tracking. This shot lasts for 13 seconds before transitioning to a close up of Don turning around and reacting suddenly to something he sees off-screen. The non-diegetic music quickly shifts to dark ominous tones coming from brass-like instruments. The film cuts to a medium shot of a woman with dark short hair dressed in white, placed in front a pink wall. She is framed between curtains with large gold tassels and a grey pillar on the left side. The camera zooms in to a close-up of the woman as more string instrument sounds add to the non-diegetic soundtrack that sets the startling mood.

The next shot begins with a close-up of Lockwood and quickly zooms into an extreme close-up to show his countenance change from startled to enamored. Cutting back to the woman, the camera zooms out to a long shot as wind simultaneously begins to blow and her dress flows behind her. This establishes her power and femme fatale-like characteristics as her strong stance is paired with the graceful movement of her dress. After 9 seconds, it cuts back to an extreme long shot where all of the guests are included in the frame. The woman’s dress continues to flow while the guests are completely frozen, further strengthening the impression her character makes. Through a dissolve, Lockwood appears in the fore-ground, facing away and reaching out towards the woman. Her dress is now much longer and the wind much greater. The room is emptied and nothing is left except the two characters. The music transitions to play more light, clarinet sounds with longer tones as the woman slowly descends towards Lockwood. As she approaches, the pace of the music picks up and she runs towards him to link arms and they begin to dance the Broadway Melody Ballet. The crane raises to a high angle long shot and tracks with them back down to a low angle medium shot when they dance back toward the camera. The entire duration of this specific shot is 52 seconds.

Starting from a medium shot, the crane slowly raises back to a high angle as they continue to dance passionately. The next shot lasts for 32 seconds, starting as she slowly circles Lockwood and her dress continues to flow in the wind, wrapping around him. The camera stays stationary for the first 8 seconds, and then begins tracking from a medium-shot, leading up to their kiss. Lockwood holds the woman in his arms and walks as her pointed toes barely graze the ground. He kneels down and pulls her in, while her dress continues to fly in the air. Simultaneous with the kiss, the music gets loud and strong, signalizing the climax of the scene.

Evan though Man with a Movie Camera doesn’t have a narrative and is a little hard to watch, we can break things down and try to interpret the film. Because this film has no narrative we have a lot of freedom to think about what Vertov’s motives were and what he was trying to accomplish with the film. If someone were to watch this film nowadays for leisure they would find it confusing and a little random, but through our film class we can look at it from the point of view of the director. When this film was being made, it was in an era full of change. There was a revolution going on with industrialization and technology and we get to see the early stages of that. We are able to tell that Vertov valued this revolution with industrialization because we see multiple times the trains being pulled throughout the city and different factories. We also get to see that different social classes throughout the city in the Soviet Union.  We see the upper class people in their cars, getting haircuts, watching sporting events, and being well off. For the other side of the social class, Vertov shows us people sleeping on the streets, factory workers covered in black; we get to see a huge contrast between the two social classes. I think Vertov also valued life and humans as a whole. Vertov has the audience experience love and heartbreak; two things almost everyone experiences in their life. We see a couple getting married looks happy and excited then we see a couple filling out a divorce document, were the women looks upset. I think Vertov values life because shows a women giving birth. It’s kind of a celebration of life for him to show that to the audience. The audience also gets a look at the city life in Soviet Union. It was crowded time in the city with everyone moving there for jobs, and we see that happening with crowds of people walking on the busy streets. For the film Man with a Movie Camera well can interpret what Vortov values.  The director values life, emotions, and innovation.

Prior to seeing Sherlock Jr, I had never before watched a silent, black and white film. However, after viewing the film in class and analyzing it, I developed a whole new respect for silent movies. I did find myself initially having a hard time forming a strong connection to what was going on but as the movie progressed I became more invested in both the plot and with the characters. Sherlock Jr, although being a short film, was extremely innovative, especially for its time. And Buster Keaton did an excellent job setting up the story so that it effortlessly flowed together. As professor Platt mentioned in class, every decision down to the time on the clock in a scene is thought through; and I found the more attention I paid to that statement, the more I picked up on just how much each of those little decisions shaped the film.

I found the way Buster Keaton used more than one narrative to be especially compelling. His transition between a fictional narrative and that of reality gave us, as viewers, a different perspective of the workings and connections of each character. Keaton’s choice to employ that type of transition between narratives also provided a comical look into the main character self-identification. Throughout the film the main character is portrayed as being a modest boyish type figure; that has trouble landing the girl and lives a minimal, humble life. However, in Keaton’s fictional narrative, which is portrayed through a dream had by the main character, he is sleek and confident and appears to have no financial worries, as he’s featured wearing an expensive looking suit. He also has no problem simultaneously saving the girl, winning her heart and solving crime. This fictional storyline follows the same characters and has many of the same issues as the real storyline, with the main differences being in the resolution of the events and the image of the main character. As difficult as it would seem to be, to transition from reality to fiction without confusing the audience or disrupting the plot, Keaton does it flawlessly. His choice to use the main characters dream as a means to portray the fictional narrative not only allows for him to get away with amplifying some of the events that occur, but also aids in the smooth transition of narratives.

Keaton’s use of two storylines, to me, has a way of showcasing the way in which cinema works. People, especially during the beginning stages of cinema, wanted to watch films about the idealized life. Reality is often not what’s featured in films, we more times than not attend movies to watch the glamourized versions of reality. Where people are portrayed the way they wish to be and events are resolved in the most idealistic of means. Keeton did an excellent job of taking the mundane realities of life and showcasing just how film rids itself of those mundane realities and instead showcases the idealized version of those realities. Keaton’s innovative filmmaking and creativity are just some of the small aspects that make this film so compelling but some of the main reasons I was able to sit through an hour of silent film without falling asleep.

Singin’ in the Rain is an entertaining movie that has proved over the generations that it’s really a timeless story that anyone can enjoy. This was not the first time I had seen the film and certainly will not be the last, but for some reason one musical number really stuck out to me when watching it this time around. The last big number in the film is called Broadway Melody and it ties into the storyline of the film because it is described as a “modern number” for the ending of a movie that the characters of Singin’ in the Rain are making.

This number looks like the biggest one of the film. It has multiple sets shown within it, many different dancers and costumes, and a ever-changing musical track. It starts with Gene Kelly’s character Don acting as the stereotypical small-town guy who has just arrived in the big city. He tries and succeeds at getting an agent interested in his singing and dancing. At a gig in a bar, he meets a beautiful woman who is the date of a mob boss and his two bodyguards. This scene was especially interesting because of the way they introduce the woman. At first Don is dancing and then all of a sudden you can only see her leg, then as he looks up at her the camera zooms out so you can see her face. She’s especially mysterious because she’s a woman who had not been seen in Singin’ in the Rain yet. I was kind of surprised the directors did not have Debbie Reynolds, one of the stars of the film and Don’s main love interest, play the love interest in this number as well. You see her again a little later in the number when the entire set and music changes and the pair dance, what can only be described as, basically a short ballet together. The number ends by Don’s character obviously making it on Broadway, with a big chorus number back on the set Broadway Melody began on.

Singin’ in the Rain does a great job at showing the audience the transition from silent films to talkies, but this number subtly points towards other things that changed during this time as well. Musicals were something that people had to leave and go see performed. Because they could now be shown on-screen, and shown very well judging by Singin’ in the Rain’s success, there was less of a need to go see musicals. Obviously the culture has not died because musicals can still be seen, but they are definitely not the most popular of choices as far as entertainment is concerned. It’s ironic that one of the biggest numbers is this huge nod to Broadway and musicals when in fact because Singin’ in the Rain could be done well on film, musicals started to become movies instead of just on-stage productions. Even today, more people know about influential musicals like Les Mis, Rent, and Phantom of the Opera through their cinematic productions rather than the on-stage productions. (Rent ran for nine years on Broadway before it was ever made into a movie, and my roommate just figured out that it was originally a musical because I was writing this blog post.)

I really enjoyed watching Singin’ in the Rain in class because I feel like I picked up on more of the subtle humor and irony that are written into the storyline. Broadway Melody is just one of the many scenes that featured this kind of irony and I think it’s what helps make this film such a timeless one. Viewers at any age can appreciate the obvious entertainment of music and dancing, but can also find humor in the small tricks and jokes written into the narrative.

I think the “Man with a Movie Camera” directed by Dziga Vertov represents how a man sees the changing society with a movie camera. This film was meant to show every day aspects of life in Russia, filmed between three different cities. Vertov was the opposed to Hollywood film industry, he didn’t like the romanticized narratives and values. He felt showing the true emotions of humans in an experimental film, without romanticizing life was a virtue to the film industry. There is no narrative in this film, each shot has a message of its own, and shots edited into a sequence take on an additional meaning over the course of the film to show the virtue of life, people and integrated technology.

The filmed showed interrupted still images as well as shots, there were repeated of the same people to signify the difference and similarities with in the lifestyles. The movie is organized of shots from dawn to dusk of Soviet citizens shown at work and at play, and interacting with the machinery of modern life. It is a universal film in the sense that it can be viewed by any person in any country without any cultural barriers, this also due to the way humans are shown in the society with subtle difference. Differences between the working class, upper class,  and people free without work for the day are unreservedly shown in several scenes.  Many of the scenes involved the busy lives of workers moving throughout the streets and working in factories in contrast to those of people enjoying the beach learning to swim, track sports, horses race and even kids at magic shows. Vertov also showed how machinery was involved in the fast paced life of this changing society,  with multiple shots of trains and factories and how they are integrated into everyday life.

At the beginning of the film, after the theater scene, there are multiple shots of different people waking up in the morning. One woman in white on a bed was seen in multiple scenes in the beginning waking up, paralleled to other scenes of people waking up in the morning in the streets. These scenes show that even with different backgrounds everyone still wakes up the same physical way. In a way saying that no matter what background or what age people are from there still some fundamental aspects of society and humanity that are similar within all of them. There was sequence of shots that showed people getting married and divorced at the registry, giving birth in a hospital, and as well as carrying the dead in the streets to their final place; these footages showed the different phases of life that everyone goes through. Vertov even showed different emotions of people involved with these phases as well. He captured amazing details of the simplicity of life, emotions, and integration of technology in a fast paced Russian society with his experimental film.

Even though the song Singing in the Rain was used many times in Japanese commercials and familiar with me, this is the first time for me to watch the Singing in the Rain as a film and I realized this film has not only the Singing in the Rain but also other memorable impressive songs. Because I, the one of recent people who are used to the talkies, was so much impressed, I can’t imagine how the people in 1927 surprised and impressed such films which have sounds.

As the textbook said, at the period of the Hollywood Golden Age, basic formal qualities were forced to adapt themselves to sound production.(LaM 454) Like the Singing in the Rain, the genre “musical” was also created by the birth of the sound. Because the main characteristic of the musical films would be the dances and songs, in Singing in the Rain”, there are attempts to adapt to them especially in the cinematography.

The cinematography would have to change their style to emphasize the actor/actress dances as well as to make audience enjoy actor/actress’s performance close. In the musical sequences, for emphasizing the actor/actress’s performances, it is obvious that they mostly use the pan movements, the long-distance of camera placement, and long-term shots. By using the pan movement as well as the long-distance placement, they became able to not only take everything what actor/actress want to express by using from their head to toe in the shots but also deliver those performances to the audience in the theater. Also, by using long-term shots, they could take the performances as a stream of expression not like separated and short one like action scene. It might be somewhat true that taking the performances as a stream is better for the musical sequences because the musical film is consisted of the music and songs which have the stream in them. Besides, for making audience enjoy actor/actress’s performances close, they use the eye-angle and take actor/actress’s performances from right in front of them. By using eye-angle, audiences could enjoy the performances as if they watch them right before their very eyes compared with using another angles like the high-angle or the bird’s eye-angle. Also by taking their performances from right in front of them, the audiences could feel as if they could watch those performances from the special seats. For instance, in the Make em Laugh sequence, they use the pan movement to keep up with Cosmo’s dance which is not only cheerful and speedy but also moving one setting to another quickly; also, since Cosmo express his emotion by using all of his body, they mostly place the camera at the long-distance to take all of his action. Besides, the average time of the shots in that sequence is 19seconds (longest one is 37 seconds). This is longer than other films (compared with the Sherlock Jr, the average is 8 seconds and the longest is 23 seconds). About the angle, they, except Cosmo’s performances are too much speed and active, use the eye-angle and take performances from in front of them, so the audiences could enjoy his performance closer.

In conclusion, by the birth of the new genre “musical”, whose characteristics are dances and songs, caused by the sound production, the cinematography techniques had been forced to adjust their style. Through this film, we can learn the history such as the people’s reaction to the sound production, the system of the cinema company, and the techniques in that period. Above all the most amazing and admired point in this film is connecting those enormous backgrounds with such a hilarious, romantic, and impressive story.

Singing in the Rain is one of my favorite early films as it constantly is making fun of the Hollywood system and the adaptation that it was taking for the studio to make talking films. Singing in the Rain is one of those movies that began to push the boundaries of how films portray the studio system that is in place in Hollywood. The intro scene of the movie is very interesting in the fact that Don, Cosmo, and Lina are all appearing at the premiere of their new film and a reporter is interested in how Don got to where he is today. Don begins to tell the reporter about how Cosmo and him have always been successful and on major tours when they were coming up in the industry but in all reality, Cosmo and Don have always had to work really hard for where they are today. Performing in pool halls, train stations, and a multitude of other venues got them to where they are today. This showcases right from the beginning that this film is going to be filled with humor and stabs out their own personal careers and the industry. Don and Cosmo have been attached at the hip for since they were kids coming up in the industry but Cosmo has always been second to Don’s success. I feel like this is a common occurrence inside Hollywood because there are many actors or actresses that come up with a partner and one always seems to see more success than the other. There are a few pairs of people that both become famous when working on the same film or TV show but it is a very rare feat to achieve. When Don is telling about the come up story of how he got to where he is today, Cosmo is forced behind the reporter and the attention of the reporter and Lina is focused solely on Don. Lina is a leach that always wants to be the center of attention no matter what. The line that really resonated with me about Lina was that from Cosmo when he said, “Lina. She can’t act, she can’t sing, she can’t dance. A triple threat.” The movie is constantly making fun of other actors or actresses in the film, specifically Lina, and this adds to the vast amount of humor present inside of the film. Some of the humor is subtle and then there are those that are completely intended just to make you chuckle. The best part of the movie is the fact that it makes fun of itself over and over again. Most of the time you do not see movies that sit and make fun of themselves and the Hollywood system. I think there needs to be more movies that make bring some humor into the process of producing a Hollywood film. What are some other movies that you have seen that make fun of the Hollywood system and the process of how movies are made?

At first viewing, Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor) seems forever stuck in the role of slapstick sidekick to Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) in Singin’ in the Rain. The two struggled for most of their careers in show business together, and it’s Don’s lucky break as a stuntman that propels his career forward with Cosmo riding on the coattails. Lockwood’s loyalty to Cosmo is admirable and shows he has retained a down-to-earth simplicity despite his stardom, but it is clear that he is partner 1A to Cosmo’s 1B. In fact, with the advent of “talkies” and rise of the new age of Hollywood cinema, Cosmo is the partner best suited for the new age, while Don is dependent on his innovation and insight.

The quick conversion of The Dueling Cavalier from silent film to talkie demonstrates how unprepared Don is for the new Hollywood reality, bringing home Kathy Seldon’s (Debbie Reynolds) critiques of his “acting.” When Dueling Cavalier is brought for a test screening the unsophisticated abrasiveness of Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) steals the show, but Don is just as unskilled at the new type of filmmaking. His exaggerated motions and insistence on simplifying the script makes a mockery out of Don Lockwood as well. The solution, which Cosmo happens upon, is to convert Dueling to Dancing and utilize Don’s skill at song and dance.

This is all well and good, and The Dancing Cavalier becomes a smashing musical success (supposedly, we are left to presume). But where is Don Lockwood to go from here? If he is still dependent on singing and tap dancing to carry his acting, there will be limited Hollywood parts for him to fill. When Don fills in as director for the introductory sequence of Cavalier he quickly turns the film into a revue filled with song and dance- and as talented as he is, this is not the future of entertainment.

Cosmo, on the other hand, shows an easy flexibility and intelligence with the new technologies, as well as creative vision. He not only sees the potential for Cavalier to become a musical, but also comes up with the solution to Lina’s grating vocals. By dubbing Kathy’s voice over Lina’s he has proven himself valuable to the company, and (in the fictional world that Singin’ inhabits) created a new technology and method of filmmaking. Moreover, with the advent of talkies Cosmo is placed in the position of musical director for Monumental Pictures, a role where he can influence the future of film with far more security than Don.

Singin’ in the Rain leads us to believe that these two silent film stars, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont, take two different paths with the advent of talking films. Don manages to navigate the new world, while Lina is crushed by her lack of vocal talent and mean-spirited personality. If we look a bit farther down the road, it may appear that Don only delayed his downfall as a film star. His skills are uniquely unsuited to the new world of cinema. His old partner Cosmo is in a position to rise in influence and power within the Monumental studio, and one can only hope that he is as loyal to Don as Don was to him.

Although Singing in the Rain takes places in the 1920s it still highlights the superficial aspects that accompany Hollywood today. Centered on the career of a theater performer, Don, Singing in the Rain is a great social commentary on Hollywood and showbiz during the 1920s.

On one of the opening scenes Don gives a speech in the middle of the red carpet as he is walking into a celebration ceremony. During his speech he recounts his career narrative explaining how he reached his success. The linguistics of his speech depict a lucrative and mainstream career path but the accompanying visuals show a rather harsh reality. Don did not attend dance recitals as a child; he performed in local bars and saloons. He did not attend a prestigious acting school; he was apart of amateur traveling group. He did not join an elite comedy venture; he joined a small slapstick performance set. Despite all this, he found tremendous success in Hollywood. His path was difficult, but now, as a successful artist, he boasts about his experiences, claiming that everything fell into place. He portrays himself in an elitist matter attempting to uphold the reputation that his career exemplifies.

This focalization shows the importance of reputation and impression within the Hollywood culture. Don struggles to mask the truth of his acting career. He glorifies his acting journey to make it into something it wasn’t. He has a legacy to uphold and does not want reality of his past to expose where he came from.

While this idea is presented in the beginning of the film, deception and illusion turn out to be a reoccurring theme. Don isn’t the only actor who has a reputation to retain and expectations to meet. Kathy must conceal her inability to sing and dance by using disguising her voice with Lina’s incredible talent.  After all, actors are performers and their job is to entertain.

If actors reveal any of their flaws the audience will respond negatively. We can see this when the audience becomes aware that Kathy cannot sing. Her reputation as an actress is diminished. Not only due to the fact that she was deceptive but also because she did not have the gorgeous voice that the audience expected. At the end of the film, just as it opened with Don on the red carpet, Kathy is put in a position where she must uphold her reputation even though she is off camera. Actors must constantly act, even when the film isn’t rolling. Hollywood is portrayed as a demanding business where actors must maintain the respect of the crowd in order to be successful.

Whether they are embellishing their life stories or fabricating their talents, Singing in the Rain shows that actors will go to great lengths to uphold their reputation in Hollywood.