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Singin In The Rain Analysis

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Musicals are usually a production which includes music and comedy. And although there are many musicals that had been made before and after “Singin’ in the Rain”, there is characteristic about the film that stands out, and that is the shift in register. When a musical is created they need to operate on two types of dramatic registers. One of those is the spectacle, and that usually consist of the musical number. The other register is the narrative which is a set of rules that give coherence and consistency to the film. (Belton) As the movie goes on these registers will shift from back and forth. What makes this film so distinctive, is that the music is a part of the plot of the movie. Dom is an actor who has to make the transition from silent films to a film where there is audio which includes singing as well. A huge part of the narrative is the creation of this musical, and how they are able to put together this movie and make it successful. When songs such as “Broadway Melody” were sung, it was for the purpose of film that they were attempting to produce in the movie. There did not need to be a buildup or transition for some of the musical numbers in the film. …show more content…

For one of those numbers, the male lead in the film did what is called setting the stage. Setting the stage meant preparing the setting that allows the shift in register to happen in a realistic way. With the musical number” You Were Meant for Me”, the directors used cinematography in order to achieve this transition. Kelly takes Reynolds onto an empty stage and then he proceeds to adjust the lights to create an evening glow that could be considered a sunset. He then positions his leading lady on a ladder (that is used as a balcony) to sing a song to serenade her. (Kelly) The film was able to depict the shift in the register in a realistic way because it set the

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