Sixty years after its release, Singin' in the Rain (1951) remains one of the bestloved films ever made. Yet despite dazzling success with the public, it neverreceived its fair share of critical analysis. Gene Kelly's genius as a performer isundeniabl... Read more

Sixty years after its release, Singin' in the Rain (1951) remains one of the bestloved films ever made. Yet despite dazzling success with the public, it neverreceived its fair share of critical analysis. Gene Kelly's genius as a performer isundeniable. Acknowledged less often is his innovatory contribution as director.Peter Wollen's illuminating study of Singin' in the Rain does justice to thiscomplex film. In a brilliant shot-by-shot analysis of the famous title number, he shows how skilfully Kelly weaves the dance and musical elements into thenarrative, successfully combining two distinctive traditions within AmericanDance: tap and ballet.At the time of the film's production, its scriptwriters Betty Comden and AdolphGreen, and indeed Kelly himself, were all under threat from McCarthyism.Wollen describes how the fallout from blacklisting curtailed the careers ofmany of those who worked on the film and argues convincingly that the filmrepresents the high point in their careers.In his foreword to this special edition, published to celebrate the 20thanniversary of the BFI Film Classics series, Geoff Andrew looks at the film'slegacy and celebrates the passion, lucidity and originality of Wollen's analysis.Summing up its enduring appeal, Andrew writes: 'Singin' in the Rain isn't just amusical, it's a movie about the movies.' Less