Moses, he knowses his toeses aren't roses

Last class period we watched Singing In The Rain, a 1952 musical based on the transition from silent films into “talkies” or talking films. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It was very colorful and happy. I couldn’t help but smile and hum on my way back to the dorm last Thursday, and wish that I could tap dance.

When I was a little girl my Daddy used to always sing Goodnight Sweetheart by the Spaniels when he was putting me to bed at night. My mother would always wake me up with the good morning song. (Which until class on Thursday, I thought she had made up) Mind you, her lyrics were a little different; but the song was the same. It was very interesting to get an idea of where all these songs came from. Singing in the Rain is another song I would sing with my Mother, but had no idea where it had come from.

Seeing the movie was a great way to see examples of all the different problems that the industry had with switching over to talking films. It was like getting a lesson on all the stuff that goes into movies at the same time as getting to watch and look for cinematography and lighting.

During the discussion I learned that the famous street scene was filmed in only 5 shots. I think that this is amazing! Especially in comparison with all of the back and forth shots that are in todays “musicals” like Chicago and Nine. This definitely leads to a more realistic feel for the viewer who doesn’t have to be interrupted and reminded they are watching a movie because of a series of shot changes.

The characters were also really interesting. I’d definitely have to say that Cosmo played by Donald O’ Conner was my favorite. His humor was very slapstick and he was Don Lockwood’s (played by Gene Kelly) sidekick. His song “Make em’ Laugh” with the mickey mouse scoring had my classmates and I laughing really hard. I love it when simple things like sounds and silly acting are found to be funny. In modern day movies its all about perversion and uncomfortable situations. I really like/miss the slapstick sometimes.

All in all I think the class really enjoyed the movie. It is definitely one I want to get for my own personal collection. I hope all the movies that we watch in class continue to be as wonderful.