#5 Singin’ in the Rain (1952) February 8, 2010

“What’s the first thing an actor learns? “The show must go on!’ Come rain, come shine, come snow, come sleet, the show MUST go on!”

Coming in at #5, my favorite movie Singin’ in the Rain directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. The film stars Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and Debbie Reynolds. Donald O’Connor won a Golden Globe for his role in this film. To many people this film is considered the classic American Musical. I fell in love with this film as a kid after seeing it in music class and I have honestly felt enchanted with the musical genre since.

The Basics: The film starts out with all the Hollywood movies stars arriving to see the latest film premiere for the Hollywood couple Don Lockwood, played by Gene Kelly and Lena Lamont. After the premiere Lockwood tries to duck from his fans and ends up in a car with a girl named Kathy Seldon, played by Debbie Reynolds who claims to be a real actress because she performs theatre instead of film. The stars all head to an after party where they get their first introduction to what would be the new craze in Hollywood, talking pictures. Later, they have girls performing from a local restuarant and it turns out that Kathy Seldon is one of them. Lockwood teases her and Seldon tries to throw cake in his face but he ducks and it ends up in Lena’s face. Next, Lena and Don start working on their next film which is like their other classic romance films, though after the premiere of another studio’s talking picture they decide they must change the film to go that route as well. They reshoot the film to be a talking picture and preview it for a crowd, though after the film strip and the track get out of sync, Lockwood and Lamont are made a laughing stalk of Hollywood. They decide to give the film the kick it needs to turn it into a musical where the actors must sing and dance. The problem is that Lena has a high-pitched unpleasant voice and can’t sing at all. So they decide the solution will be to have Kathy Seldon sing and speak for Lena, without her knowledge. At the premiere of the film, Lena is asked to sing and they have Kathy stand behind a curtain only later to be revealed as Lena’s voice. Don then makes sure the audience knows that it was her that sang beautifully in the film and he is also in love with her.

The Techniques: One of my favorite things they did in the film is where Gene Kelly is dancing to the title song, “Singin’ in the Rain” and the street is filled with water while it visible rains. It’s interesting to note that they actually added milk to the rain water so that it would be easier to see on camera. Many people also think that this specific scene was shot in one take, when in fact it took at least 2-3 days to complete the filming of this scene.

The Favorites: Two of my favorite scenes are in the beginning of the film, the first being the very beginning when all of the movie stars are arriving to see the latest film coming out by Lockwood and Lamont. I always loved seeing the great costumes on each of the stars and how it was a great representation of their personality and the time period. My second favorite scene is at the film premiere party where Debbie Reynolds character, Kathy Seldon is dancing and is seen by Gene Kelly’s character. He makes some cold remarks to her about her not being a real actor and she goes to toss a cake in his face, he ducks and the cake hits Lena. Finally, my third favorite part is the end when they have Lena sing in front of a live audience and the men backstage pull back the curtain to reveal that Kathy Seldon is actually the beautiful voice that the audience thought was Lena’s.

#4 Raging Bull (1980) February 5, 2010

“I got these small hands. I got a little girl’s hands.”

Coming in 4th place on the AFI’s 100 Years 100 Movies is the 1980 hit Raging Bull. The film is directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriaty, and Joe Pesci. Now I have to say while this film is considered a classic and was nominated for 8 academy awards in 1980…it was not my favorite. That said for others it could be an excellent choice and deserves the same treatment as the other films have gotten thus far.

The Basics: The film’s main character Jake LaMotta, who is played by Robert De Niro, who is a middleweight boxer whose rage, jealously, and appetite destroy his time in the ring and his relationship with his wife and children. Joe Pesci, plays LaMotta’s brother and manager that tries to help him overcome the rough spots in his life. I think this is where I felt a little bored and grossed out at points, though there were some high action scenes in the ring during some of the fights.The ending of the film is where LaMotta tells journalists that he is officially retired, but after staying out all night and fighting with his wife Vicki, she tells him she wants a divorce. Jake is sent to jail and has a flashback to the scene where he says, “I coulda been a contender.” The films ends with LaMotta quoting the symbolic bible verse, “All I know is this: Once I was blind, and now I can see.”

The Techniques: First thing, I noted about this film is that it has very clear vivid picture on the screen, though it is still filmed in black and white. The second technique is that they actually placed a camera in the ring that would act as giving a point of view of the opponent around the ring, which they created to look like a replica of Madison Square Gardens. The third point, isn’t really a filming technique but more of an interesting fact during filming. The production of the film actually shut down for several weeks so Robert De Niro could go on an eating benge to bulk up for the heavy set LaMotta.

Most memorable scenes: I think the first scene that was most memorable to me was when LaMotta is in the ring his championship belt against Laurent Dauthuille. This scene the background is mostly dark and the light is surrounding the boxers, who I might add are really going at each other. I honestly had to turn away and did not really care to see the blood and sweat dripping from their faces as LaMotta’s eyes swelled shut. The second most memorable scene for me was the end when LaMotta is in jail and turns to look in the mirror saying, “All I know is this: Once I was blind, and now I can see.” This is very symbolic and gives the film a redemptive quality or at least the character De Niro plays.

Next up one of my favorites…Singin’ in the Rain