Written by Carson Barker
On Saturday, June 28th, Singin’ in the Rain was shown as the 2nd rendition of the Governor Scholars Program’s Classic Film Series. The Gene Kelly classic was made in 1952 and is set in the late 1920s. The film contains numerous classical numbers such as “Singin’ In the Rain”, “Good Morning”, and “Make Em’ Laugh”.
The film stars Gene Kelly himself as Don Lockwood, and begins the story with the tale of Don and his best friend Cosmo Brown’s (Donald O’Connor) upbringing. After achieving stardom through his stunts, Don falls in love with theatre actor Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds). Don chases after Kathy in hopes of finding someone who treats him as a human rather than a celebrity. The introduction of “talkies” brings hard times and poor performances for Don, playing on the fact that Don’s costar, Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), is incapable of fulfilling her role as she is made to adapt to talking films.
This film allowed scholars to dive deeper into 1950s movie culture and tells an educational story of the transition from silent to sound in theaters. The picture told a story of change, spreading a message of not being afraid to try something new, and the importance of adaptation.
Scholars reacted positively to the movie, with many laughing at Cosmo’s comic relief. Scholars also enjoyed the music, with many singing along to the music throughout the whole film. The majority of those who watched it reported feeling satisfied with the movie and had no regrets in watching it.
Scholar’s Rating → 3.8/5
Scholar’s Remarks →
“I really loved it, it allowed me to explore a time capsule of media while still maintaining its humor.”
4/5
“The songs are very catchy, it doesn’t feel like a movie made in the 50s.”
4/5
“When she popped out of the cake I knew it was gonna be a great movie.”
4.3/5