wni 203199:

Singin in the Rain (1952): Gene Kelly steals the show as a true triple threat and stuntman to boot. Make Them Laugh, Good Morning to You and Singin in the Rain are amazing sequences. The color is dazzling. Technicolor deserved a pat on the back for this one. If you have not seen it lately, then you might want to check it out. Technology and art are crashing into one another head on and the film focuses on the transition to the talkies while the golden days of the musicals were in their heyday. Ironically, musicals were soon to have less impact at the box office. Gone are the days of the multi-talented star that does his own stunts. What a shame. This is a landmark film and anyone who loves movies should see it. 5 stars, highly recommended.

crewark:

"Singin' in the Rain" is simply the greatest Movie Musical of all time. This is a movie that everyone needs to get around to seeing sooner or later, but none of the others on that list ("Citizen Kane," "Casablanca," etc.) are anywhere near as happy a viewing experience as this one. Gene Kelly dancing to the title song is an indelible Top 10 Movie memory and Donald O'Connor might be a second banana but his "Make 'Em Laugh" is almost as unforgettable. Then there is the whole "Moses supposes his toeses are roses, but Moses supposes erroneously," which is just a notch below "The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle" in my mind. Screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green did the lyrics for that Roger Edens tune, while most of the songs were written by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed. Yes, the "Broadway Melody" sequences is shoe horned into the picture, but that is redeemed by the the punch line at the end when R. F. Simpson (Millard Mitchell) says, "Well, I'll have to see it." Besides, Cyd Charisse is in it and my father always liked "Cyd Baby" as he called her, which, seeing those long legs, I can understand. The other great in-joke in this film is that Betty Noyes does the singing for Debbie Reynold's dubbing the singing for Jean Hagen because Lina Lamont has a voice that can peel paint ("Well of COURSE we talk. Don't everybody?) and the excuse for all this merriment is that the Lockwood and Lamont silent film "The Dueling Cavalier" needs to be changed into a new fangled talking picture. Remember the rules: If it originally appeared on Broadway then it does not get to be considered as a Movie Musical. This means "Singin' in the Rain" is not in competition against "The Sound of Music" or "Grease" but rather against "Easter Parade" and "White Christmas." Ergo, the Greatest Movie Musical of all time.

One Smart Cookie:

I have seen this movie over 30 times. It's old, yes, but still hilarious (especially the "Make 'Em Laugh" scene) and the music is marvelous. If you love 50s-era movie musicals, and even if you don't...this is simply one of the greatest films of all time.

jazzaficionado:

Truly one of my all time favorite musicals. Donald O'Connor's "Make 'em Laugh" by itself would make it worth the price of admission to say nothing of the beautiful Kelly/Charrise dance piece or Kelly himself doing "Singin' in the Rain" with the wonderfully comedic Jean Hagen's malapropisms and much less than melodious voice (she all but stole the picture). All that with book by Betty Comden/Adolph Green, songs by Arthur Freed/Nacio Herb Brown and direction by the great Stanley Donan one can't possibly go wrong.

BlueVoid:

Recognized as one of the best classic musicals, 'Singin' in the Rain' had always been at the top of my 'to watch' list. I'm not a fan of musicals in general, so I went into this film a bit wary. To my surprise the film holds up remarkably well. The film is about the transition from silent films to 'talkies' and makes for a compelling commentary on that tumultuous era in cinema. Some of the musical numbers did drag a bit, but for the most part were entertaining. This is a great film. A true classic, and one of the best films about Hollywood ever made.