Pratibha A. Dabholkar

Well-researched and enjoyable look at my all-time favorite movie. In their introduction, the authors say their goal is somewhere in between academic analysis and popular gossip, and in general they find that middle ground. Those into the nitty-gritty of film production will appreciate the sheer amount of detail provided about the genesis of the story, the creation of sequences and shooting schedules, while those more interested in personalities will learn plenty about Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds et al. The latter is the one area where the authors get a little repetitive. One gets the feeling they idolize Kelly (understandably) and thus have bones to pick both with Reynolds, for complaining about how hard it was to work under him, and with Stanley Donen, for trying to take too much credit away from his mentor and co-director. Mostly, though, one comes away from this book with an appreciation of how much work went into this movie, and renewed wonder at how easy the cast made it look.… (mehr)

Singin’ In The Rain is one of Hollywood’s best loved films. The American Film Industry named it the Best Musical Film of all time. They also listed it as the fifth best film of any genre of all time, and it came the top 20 films of both their lists of romantic movies, and comedy movies. More importantly, it is loved by film fans all over the world, even almost 60 years after it was released.

This book tells the story of how the film was created, beginning right at the genesis of the project, when screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green were asked to write a musical using MGMs back catalogue of Freed/Brown songs. All they knew was that it was to be called ‘Singin’ In The Rain’; they had no guidance regarding what the storyline should be about. The book describes the writing process, and then goes on to describe how all the main players in the cast came on board, providing short but detailed biographies of the main cast.

There are detailed descriptions of the various problems encountered by the cast and crew during filming, and also of the personal relationships between the people involved in the film. It also gives details of how the dances were worked out, how the sets were created, and how the characters were developed. (And finds time to debunk a few myths – for example, despite popular reports that milk was used instead of water for the title dance, this is not true.)

Finally the book describes the impact which the film had on the cast and crew, the critics, and the viewing public, and discusses its enduring appeal (giving details of life after the film for the main cast).

This book is jam-packed with details and facts, but it is all presented in a very readable and engaging style. It’s clear that the authors love their subject (and indeed, who doesn’t?!), and have carried out exhaustive research for this book.

Above all, it is a fitting tribute to a wonderful film, and is definitely recommended for fans of the film, or anyone interested in how movies were made. And I guarantee that when you’ve finished it, you will want to get the film out and watch it!… (mehr)