Singin’ In The Rain is one of my favorite movies. I am unashamedly biased towards it. I know it isn’t perfect, nor is it for everyone. I love it. Now Singin’ In The Rain arrives on Blu-ray to celebrate its 60th anniversary in a deluxe package that gives the film its due.
Yes, it’s a musical. It is easily one of the greatest musicals ever made. the dancing is fun to watch, the songs are catchy and the story is engaging. Made in 1952, it represents pretty much the pinnacle of the musical film as an art form. While different ones may appeal to people differently, musicals in general all have a fairly standard measure of quality. By any measure Singin’ In The Rain meets or exceeds them.
The story is a period piece about making movies. Set in the late 20s as sound was beginning to be used in motion pictures, the story is about Hollywood and the business of making movies as it is a love story (show me a musical that doesn’t have a love story and I’ll show you a rock opera). Gene Kelly is Don Lockwood, Hollywood star and his on-screen partner is Jean Hagen’s Lina Lamont. Only thing is, their public image is very different from reality. Enter into the equation a shift in Hollywood to “talkies”, Don’s longtime friend Cosmo (Donald O’Conner) and the girl who will rescue the film and win Don’s heart, Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds).
Is Singin’ In The Rain a perfect film? No. Personally I think the dream sequence goes on a bit too long. While it is shorter than the one in An American In Paris from the previous year, Singin’ In The Rain’s story is more “grounded” and less about concepts, and as such, while it is fantastic, I personally feel it is a little out of place. And really, Lina Lamont is a bit of a caricature with little to like. But these are quibbles, really, especially in light of just how fantastic the whole film is and how well it holds up over time.
I could go on about the film, but it’s best to just watch it yourself if you have yet to do so. This is a great opportunity to do so.
Fans of the film will want to seek out this new Blu-ray set. When I first saw the film on television (back in the dark ages of only 3 networks) picture and sound quality were always suspect, owing to broadcast standard and the lack of any sort of film preservation. Then several years ago the film was restored, and unfortunately it couldn’t be done from the negative because it had long since been destroyed. The resulting limited theatrical and DVD release was fantastic. Now for Blu-ray Singin’ In The Rain has been completely remastered and looks better than co-directors Stanley Donnen and Gene Kelly could have ever imagined. I wish all catalog releases could get this treatment.
It appears all the special features from the previous DVD release are carried over for this release, starting with the audio commentary hosted by Debbie Reynolds. It is a must listen for fans of the film. Two documentaries from the previous DVD are also carried over, both in standard definition unfortunately. The first, Musicals Great Musicals: The Arthur Freed Unit At MGM is almost 90 minutes of great cinema history centering on Arthur Freed, one of the unsung (ha – he’s a lyricist) names in the musical genre. There’s a lot of ground covered in this great biographical documentary. The other previously available documentary is What A Glorious Feeling: The Making Of Singin’ In The Rain a retrospective feature that runs just under 40 minutes and looks at (wait for it) the making of the film in question. It features plenty of involvement from several key personnel and is well worth watching.
Also carried over from the previous DVD is a great bit showcasing where the songs in Singin’ In The Rain came from. It wasn’t until many years after having watched not only Singin’ In The Rain but many other musicals that I realized most of the songs used are from the time just after when the film is set, used in other musicals. This is really a neat look at how the film is pieced together and the context for the songs as originally used. Then there is the outtake of Debbie Reynolds singing “You Are My Lucky Star”, a stills gallery and over an hour of musical cues from the recording sessions (music nerds only for that last one).
I guess the DVD copy of the film is technically a carry over as well.
So what’s new? Well, the film and some special features are on one Blu-ray disc, with a DVD copy of the film and a second DVD with special features. I was hoping we would get 2 Blu-ray discs with many of the previous documentary features on the second Blu-ray and upconverted at least to high definition instead of being relegated to a DVD and standard definition, but at least we aren’t losing anything. There is a new “jukebox” feature allowing viewers to jump through the film to the songs, but it doesn’t take the place of having a full soundtrack available. We do get a new feature Singin’ In The Rain: Raining On A New Generation which features a number of current stars and creators discussing the film. This is much more of an “appreciation” piece than anything else, but it’s worth watching at least once.
For this deluxe … er… Ultimate Collector’s Edition we get a few physical pack-ins. First up is a nice hardcover book with enough text and photos to satiate the curious. It’s a nice piece that delves a bit deeper than the usual fluff you see in these types of things. Next up is a reproduction of the three posters that would be displayed in a theater lobby. These are rather small, unfortunately, about 3″ by 10″ each. I do wish a much more full-sized replica were offered. Then there is the umbrella with an umbrella charm. I’m not sure if this is a good idea or not.
Get this. If you don’t want to spend the money on the massive set, and I don’t blame you, do seek the film out on Blu-ray, even if you have it already on DVD. The upgrade is worth it for this film.