ET 14: Singin' In The Rain, Singin' In The Rain!

Singin’ in the Rain, a film by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen has a musical scene of the same name in the film that is absolutely incredible through my eyes. There are many different views and ways others perceive this scene and I believe that I do see it a bit more differently from how others do.

Is the scene expressionistic? The real question should be – how is the scene not expressionistic? One would never see a man tap-dance in the middle of a downpour! However, the way the entire set is created for Gene Kelly to dance on does create a somewhat dream-like setting. It is dark, yet he expresses so much joy, which is in a way, contradicting one another, much like a dream. This scene can be compared to both films “M” and “Metropolis” in a way as well. The entire scene is shot in the middle of a city full of buildings and the viewers are not shown the roofs of the buildings, similar to how most scenes were shot in “M” and “Metropolis”. Although it is similar in that specific way, it is entirely different in terms of what the protagonist, Gene Kelly expresses as compared to the other two protagonists in “M” and “Metropolis”. As Gene Kelly dances and sings under the pouring rain, he expresses joy and happiness of being in love with the lady of his dreams – Debbie Reynolds. If one were to notice his facial expressions (up until he meets the police officer), one could actually feel how smitten he really is for her. The look he has on his face makes the audience feel as if nothing could ever go wrong, as he has already found the one that he intends to spend his entire life with for the rest of his life – a “happy ending” if you will.

This scene though has its own meaning in terms of the sequence in the context of the whole movie. In the beginning, when Gene Kelly coincidentally meets Debbie Reynolds – it portrays the “Boy Meets Girl” moment when everything is new and fresh. As the movie progresses, Gene is seen to obsess and constantly think of her which leads up to the scene of him romancing her with the set-up of the studio – the “Boy Romances Girl” moment. The scene of Gene Kelly dancing and singing in the rain though, is the inevitable “Boy Kisses Girl” moment that I am sure, the scene most viewers tend to look forward to. The scene is blown out of proportion with Gene Kelly dancing and singing in the streets in the rain as he shows how happy he is after kissing Debbie.

The choreography on the other hand, says so much about how Gene feels in the movie and the how the little details are what make his happiness look so convincing. It starts out with him walking while sheltering himself from the rain with his umbrella. He then decides that there is no need for an umbrella – not even the rain could ever change how he feels about Debbie. He then walks with his head held up high, looking at the beauty of everything and then jumps onto a lamppost signifying he’s on top of the world at the moment. As the camera goes for a close up on Gene, one could see how in love he was with Debbie when he smiled from ear-to-ear as the raindrops fell on his face. He then starts tap-dancing with his umbrella and the dance starts to pick up pace as it progresses. There’s even a part when Gene avoids the falling drain water a few times but eventually just goes under it and enjoys the splash. It feels as if he’s afraid of it in the beginning but decides to take the dive anyway, like how some of us are afraid of love in the beginning yet we eventually take the plunge anyway. The dance becomes the most intense when he goes onto the street swinging the umbrella and then starts splashing the water with his legs like a child as if he’s free and absolutely nothing can stop him from feeling this overjoyed. Only until the policeman arrives and looms over his shoulder like a parent does to a child, does he bring himself back to reality.

I could go on and on about the many things that comprise this beautifully made scene. The fact is that this scene is viewed so differently from others. Nevertheless, it is similar on one point – that it is one of the best scenes one could ever make and it is enjoyed no matter when one watches it, especially on a rainy day.