Singin' in the Rain

Forty years after its release, Singin' in the Rain remains one of the best loved films ever made. Yet despite dazzling success with the public it never received its fair share of critical praise. Gene Kelly's genius as a performer is there for all to see. Acknowledged less often is his innovatory contribution as director. Peter Wollen has finally done justice to this landmark film. In a brilliant shot-by-shot analysis of the famous title number, illustrated by specially-produced frame stills, he shows how skilfully dance and musical elements are woven into the narrative. However, with Hollywood menaced by McCarhtyism, the Popular Front ethos in which the film was conceived could not long survive. Wollen argues convincingly that Singin' in the Rain was the high point in the careers of those who worked on it. In his new introduction, Geoff Andrew expands upon Wollen's study, while praising its passionate, and enlightening, celebration of the film. Andrew looks at the connection between sound and image, body and voice, but also considers recent films that have built upon these themes.

PETER WOLLEN taught film at UCLA. He is the author of several books,
including Signs and Meaning in the Cinema, first published in 1969 and reprinted
in a new edition in 2012, and the co-writer (with Mark Peploe) of Michelangelo
Antonioni's The Passenger (Professione: Reporter) (1974).

GEOFF ANDREW is Head of Film Programme at BFI Southbank, and was
previously Film Editor of Time Out London. He is the author of two volumes in
the BFI Modern Classics series, The 'Three Colours' Trilogy (1998) and 10 (2005),
and of The Films of Nicholas Ray: The Poet of Nightfall (2004).

Foreword Geoff Andrew

'Singin' in the Rain'

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