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Singin' in the Rain Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and his co-star Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), are two actors whose jobs are threatened by the transition to the sound era. Not much of a problem, except that Lina has a horribly nasal voice. So it's up to Don's friends, Cosmo (Donald O'Connor) and Kathy (Debbie Reynolds) to help him. The movie rather jocularly explores the experimental stage of the talkies, and the transition to "all singing, all dancing" movies that we've come to love. I found Jean Hagen's portrayal of the whiny blonde bombshell absolutely hilarious. And so did the Academy, which nominated her for the Best Supporting Actress award that year. Gene Kelly looks a little unglamourous in some of the screen shots from some bizarre angles, which some shots highlighting the scar on his left cheek. But as usual, Gene Kelly's acting, singing and dancing didn't fail to dazzle. Together with the acrobatic Donald O'Connor, he never missed a beat. Watch out for crazy numbers like Moses. Debbie Reynolds is lively too, but had to play second fiddle to Jean Hagen, I thought. Watch the hilarious over-the-top comedy sequences. Take the wickedly satirical take on a black-and-white movie, with the heroine shouting "Philippe" wistfully at the wig-wearing, swashbuckling hero. My favourites include Lina's microphone woes, and the preview of Don and Lina's first sound movie, plagued by poor sound. And who can forget the trademark Singin' in the Rain scene? Even though it was diluted milk, not water, that was falling, and although Gene Kelly's suit shrunk and he got a very high fever after that, this rendition of the song was the most unforgettable version among all the others. A little trivia: some complicated dubbing went on behind the scenes. Kathy was supposed to dub Lina's singing voice, but that was sung not by Debbie Reynolds, but by someone else. And Kathy's dubbing of Lina's speaking voice was actually dubbed by - surprise! - Jean Hagen. Jean Hagen had more stage experience than Debbie Reynolds, and was considered a better choice. If you think you can pass up on this movie, think again. This one gets full marks. [more reviews] rating
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