SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952): DVD
Lockwood (Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) are (silent) movie stars, whose adulating
public believes their on screen romance is more than that. Lamont is the dumb blonde that
the jokes inspire and her high pitched voice is worse than an alley cat on heat. Believing
her own publicity, Lamont thinks that she and Lockwood are really an item, but for
Lockwood, it's all for show. Besides, he has just met Kathy (Debbie Reynolds) and
it’s love at first sight. But there's heartache in paradise and piano player Cosmo
(Donald O'Connor) uses his innovation to solve all the problems from the studio to the
heart.
"This is undoubtedly one of the happiest musicals of all time, with arguably the
most original dance routine ever. The sheer genius of Gene Kelly's Singin' in the Rain
routine as he splashes in the puddles and exudes sheer joie de vivre is one of the great
moments of cinema. It's the perfect extension of expression and emotion in the shape and
form of dance.
The boy meets girl story is timeless, while the performances from Kelly, Donald
O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds are unforgettable. O'Connor manages to make his Make 'Em
Laugh routine look so easy and we marvel as we watch his face and body contort in all
directions. Good Mornin', You Were Meant for Me, You Are My Lucky Star are some of the
memorable classic tunes that will keep your toes tappin' and your heart singing. There are
plenty of laughs and the set up when Lamont's shrill voice appears to come from Lockwood's
mouth and visa versa, when the voices are out of sync, is priceless.
The transfer is surprisingly excellent: the images are sharp, the colour true and the sound pure. The only drawback is that it's not in widescreen – as a reader, Peter McBain points out, “Singin' in the Rain (1952) was shot in the 4:3 Academy format as were most films before 1954 when Cinemascope was introduced. It was later in the fifties that the other widescreen format (1:85) was introduced to give an alternative to shooting with Cinemascope lenses.” There are no features, but the film itself is enough. A treat to watch – again and again."
Louise Keller
Published February 22, 2001
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You can buy it HERE - next day delivery within Australia
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952) (G)
(US)
CAST: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen
DIRECTOR: Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen
RUNNING TIME: 98 minutes
DVD DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Home Video
DVD RELEASE: September 4, 2000
SPECIAL FEATURES
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Languages in Dolby Mono 1.0: English, French, Italian
Subtitles: English, French, Italian, Dutch, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Romanian,
Bulgarian
English and Italian for the Hearing Impaired
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