by Giovanni Ferri

Created on: January 14, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

Since the advent of sound, the Hollywood Musical is a genre that has gained great popularity in offering its audience entertainment and a sense of escapism reminiscent of Broadway, with its use of popular songs and the notion of spectacle. Although the genre was at it's peak in the 1930's most notably staring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and then again in the 1950's (where examples include Singin' in the Rain, Calamity Jane and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), there has recently been a revival in the genre. This is most notably evident through the Oscar winning success of Chicago in 2003, illustrating the musical's lasting quality and popularity even with an audience today. However, such critical acclaim has not always been associated with the genre, musicals made during the classical period in Hollywood, were considered to be just entertainment so there was no requirement for critical appreciation or discourse, in contrast to westerns or gangster films which were considered to be about American society and history. It was not until the 1970's that film critics challenged the view previously held concerning musicals, they began to consider ideas such as gender representation, Demystification of the stage and film making, the achievement of spectacle, and the genre's ability to remythicise. These elements are now considered to be important conventions of the Hollywood musical as a genre.

There were many types of musicals made during the classical period, in his essay the Musical' Jim Collins states that:
The Musical has always been a mongrel genre. [] In consequence it's history, both on stage and on screen, has been marked by numerous traditions, forms and styles. These in turn have been marked by numerous terms- operetta', Revue', musical comedy', musical drama', the backstage musical', the rock musical', the integrated musical' and so on'[1].
Singin' in the Rain is an example of a backstage musical, because its focus is on the creation of a stage show and the performers having to pull together to overcome all obstacles, however the film shifts this convention to a film set. This plotline and the romance are bound together. The film has a typical romantic plotline with an unusual meeting of the lovers, Don the protagonist played by Gene Kelly falling into the car of Kathy, the two characters immediately dislike each other but eventually they have a realisation of their love. However, they are still faced by an obstacle, in this case this is provided by the character

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