Singin' in the Rain

Synopsis: Set in the era when silent movies were giving way to Talkies, silent film stars Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (the hilarious Jean Hagen) struggle to make the transition. Lockwood, his partner Cosmo (Donald O'Connor), and new ladylove Kathy (Debbie Reynolds) come upon the idea of making a musical — if only they can find some way to work around the lead-footed, shrill-voiced Lina.

Sample quote: “I caain't stand 'im!”

Comment: It's a wonderful movie. It's funny, it's Technicolor, the dancing is great, the songs are great, the plot is sufficient to sustain a musical, and it's the best balm for when you need unchallenging entertainment to cheer you up.

The Extras: Recently re-relased with a separate DVD extras, in addition to commentary on the film by Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor, Cyd Charisse, and others involved in the making of the movie. The extras include a couple of documentaries on the era of the big movie musical, and Singin' in the Rain in particular. I hadn't realized that the basic idea was to use songs from many past musicals in this new one. It's a good enough movie that it doesn't need all the extra stuff — but the extras are educational and somewhat fun in themselves.

Usability: I don't recall having any problems with it, which suggests a fairly standard menu.

Next Musical film: Freddie Mercury Video Collection