The film Singin? in the Rain is a musical with plenty of songs, nonstop dancing, and humor. The story?s characters would burst into song to express emotions on any subject, really. Dialogue is replaced by song and dance usually during an especially happy or romantic moment.
The film is set in the 1920?s and parodies the panic surrounding the troubling transitional period from silent to talking movies as sound made its way through Hollywood. Singin? in the Rain gives us a historical autobiography of what happened when sound hit the scene. Don and Lina are characters that play romantic silent film stars that are adored by the public and expected to pretend to be romantically involved. When they are pressured by the studio to turn their silent drama in to a sound film, the musical services.
At the time silent actors were having a hard time transitioning to having to speak while acting out the scene.
Actress Lillian Gish
James M. Lackaye (December 5, 1867 - June 8, 1919)...
English: from www.silentgents.comThis is portrayed through Lina. When the actors need to speak Don does all the talking. We later find out that Lina has an incredibly screechy voice with an accent. When she finally opens her mouth her voice doesn?t match her glamorous image. On top of that Lina couldn?t conquer the idea that she had to speak into a microphone. Many actors of the time didn?t make it over the hurdle and were left behind.
Musicals at times can distance the viewers due to an unrealistic standing. We all know that in real life no one starts singing about everyday things. Though, just as you feel distanced from the actors, an extremely talented singer and/or dancer reel the viewer back in. This film is particularly engaging because it has all the ingredients for success. The actors are talented in dance, song,