French Foriegn Relations

"Singin' in the Rain" is one of my all time favorite musicals. Probably because it is one of the few I have ever watched. I grew up on sports and action films. Nothing was better than watching Jean Claude Van Damm beat the tar out of people in "Blood Sport" or Stallone beating up Drago in "Rocky IV". But out of all those nights of action films with my father and brothers, I never quite enjoyed a movie night as much as when I watched "Singing in the Rain" with my mom. Granted I do love Rocky and Bloodsport more, as they appeal more to my nature, there is something special about the light hearted humor of moviesfrom this era. The way in which the actors play to us like we are in the audience really changes the vibe the viewers recieve. Instead of feeling like you're watching everything go down from a distance. Movies like "Singin' in the Rain" make you feel like you are sitting at a first row table.

Getting home from a tough day at work, nothing puts a person in a better mood than just being entertained. "Singin' in the Rain" does just that. It is pure entertainment. From tap dancing to singing, the movie is mello and full of neat things to watch. It is such a foriegn thing from film today. It is so refreshing to not have to be on the edge of my seat, or making sure I catch every word. It is a comfort to not have to put up with gross sex scenes and lots of obscenities. Those things are of course part of our lives as american's. People have sex and people cuss. But it is nice to take a break from all that and venture off to a place that is not like the reality of the world we live in. One of the major themes in the film is that movies are better than real life. The acting by Gene Kelly is a little over the top. However, this is what makes the film what it is. "Singin' in the Rain" is an escape from the day to day. The movies are better than real life theme runs through the whole movie based on costumes and the actors. Technicolor also adds to this theme by giving it a "Alice in Wonderland" look. The movie is not realistic. That is what is so special about it.

The great thing about movies from the fifties time period is that they seem to be light hearted. They are definitly not the film noir scary type. The change from "Sunset Boulevard" to "Singin' in the Rain" is a drastic one. I bet the French were happy to see a few movies that weren't in black and white. Foriegn relations with them must have improved.