Blue Umbrella Official Blue Umbrella Summer Issue | Page 16

WHAT'S SO SPECIAL?
Singin? in the Rain
was a popular
movie in the
1950s that people
even today love
and connect with.
Set in the 1920s,
this musical deals
with the struggles
actors and
actresses faced
when movies
switched from
silent to sound.
By Sabrina L.
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
Singin? and Dancing at its Greatest
Musicals have made a huge
comeback in recent years. The
art of making a movie with a
great storyline while
incorporating original songs
had been lost until it was
discovered again in such
movies as The Greatest
Showman. Musicals such as
this one inspires us much as
ones in the past did. To fully
appreciate these modern
musicals, however, one needs
to be aware of past musicals
and their influence. One
musical from earlier years
that critics and moviegoers
love, much as people today
love The Greatest Showman,
was Singin? in the Rain.
In the plot of the movie, Don
Lockwood is a huge star in
silent romantic pictures. His
world is turned upside down
by the introduction of sound
into pictures and by his
strange encounter with Kathy
Seldon, a girl who seems to be
unimpressed with his acting.
Throughout the movie, Don
and his best friend Cosmo
sing and dance their way
through hilarious blunders to
discover the secret to real
acting. Along the way, Don
discovers love and his true
talents.
A great plot is not the only
thing that matters in a
musical though. The music
and dancing are just as
important. Singin? in the Rain
had no issues in the dancing
department, for it starred two of
the top dancing stars of its time:
Gene Kelly and Donald O? Connor.
With goofy solos and impressive
duets, these two dancers made
the dancing look easy. While
dancing was their specialty,
singing was also a talent of
theirs. Kelly and O?Connor
showed a wide range of abilities
in singing everything from
beautiful love songs to the
difficult tongue twister of
?Moses.? The actress who played
the leading lady, Debbie Reynolds,
also sang a few numbers.
Overall, Singin? in the Rain is still
one of the greatest musicals of all
time. With a great plot, fantastic
dancing, and a wide range of
songs, it is still worth watching
today alongside its newer
counterparts.