Shauna and I love to watch the American Film Institute (AFI) specials that air once a year or so. Each year the AFI creates a “Top 100 Best of” movie list of various topics. Top 100 Best film quotes or Top 100 Best film songs. A couple of years ago they aired ‘AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies’, a list of the 100 best American movies. A fairly ambitious and potentially controversial undertaking, if you ask me. I was surprised by how many ‘older’ films were on the list, but that’s really a subject for a later blog. What I was interested to note was that Singin’ in the Rain was number 10 on the list. I recalled that the title song had been ranked number 3 in ‘AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Songs’ list, and perhaps not surprisingly, was listed right at the top of ‘AFI’s 100 Years of Musicals’. Clearly it’s a very popular film.I had seen the famous Singin’ in the Rain dance sequence with Gene Kelly, I knew the song, I accepted that it was a famous, popular piece of filmmaking. What I hadn’t ever done was actually sit down and watch it. At least, not until this past Sunday. And while I may not agree with a lot of the choices in AFI’s 100 Years... 100 Movies list, I can certainly understand why Singin’ in the Rain is near the top.
At this point it’s pretty much impossible to say anything about the film that hasn’t already been said a thousand times before. The story is clever and interesting, especially for a film buff like me who loves learning about how movies are made. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, Singin’ in the Rain is set during the era of filmmaking when “talking movies” were brand new. ‘The Jazz Singer’, the first “talkie”, has just been released and Monumental Pictures wants to get on the bandwagon. The only problem is that their leading lady in silent films has a terrible voice and could be the ruin of the studio. I won’t go into any more details but the storyline is clever, intriguing and highly entertaining.
The dialogue is witty and hilarious at times, which surprised me since we’re talking about a film that was released 23 years before I was even born. I’ve seen several ‘older’ films with dated dialogue that is now campy, cliché and in some cases down-right absurd. Singin’ in the Rain somehow manages to stay fresh and funny 56 years later.Saying that the music is great is kind of like saying that the Empire State Building is tall. I’m reminded of a quote from Fawtly Towers, “Next contestant, Mrs. Sybil Fawlty from Torquay. Specialist subject – the bleeding obvious.” I was surprised by how many familiar tunes there were, including “Make ‘Em Laugh”, “Gotta Dance” and the non-Viagra version of “Good Morning”.
Saying that the dancing is great is kind of like saying that the dancing is great. Actually, it’s exactly like saying that. The dancing is great. I know it makes me sound old but they just don’t make movies like that anymore. I really enjoyed the dance numbers with all their extravagant sets and incredible choreography. Many of the scenes with Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor were almost hypnotic. Though I did find myself wondering if their routines would get them past the judges on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’.
The Two-disc Special Edition DVD is a great package that contains the theatrical release in glorious Dolby Digital 5.1 and un-glorious Full Frame 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio. What does that mean? Well, if you have an older, non-HD TV it means the picture will look normal. If you have a new HD TV, it means you will have black bars at the sides of the frame. Unless you decide to zoom the picture or something, which you should never do because it ruins the original aspect ratio. Unless you are afraid of burn-in, in which case you should consider using the zoom like I was forced to do. In any case I don’t think anyone is going to complain much about the picture quality of a 56-year old film. Except me. Full frame? Really?The second disc is packed with special features the likes of which I’ve never seen before. Because I haven’t watched them yet.
Bottom line, if you are a fan of movies and you have never seen Singin’ in the Rain I highly recommend it. It is a classic in every sense of the word and rightly deserves its number 10 spot on AFI’s list. If this film doesn’t make you smile then I say to you the same thing my wife says to me when I fail to cry at sad movies; “You have no heart.”
