“History does not simply ‘happen'; it is frequently engineered. Such is often the case with Hollywood, especially when it takes a look at itself. While it weakens historical plausibility, infusing an event with romance, comedy and drama may prove to be a more entertaining and enduring interpretation of the original occasion. In Singin' in the Rain, Donen and Kelly have taken the faults and foibles of the filmworld fathers circa The Jazz Singer and set them to laughter and music. When sound's arrival threatens the future of that romantic silent-era duo, Lockwood and Lamont, their studio scrambles for a solution. They decide to set their latest period epic, The Dueling Cavalier, to music. Initial delight clouds over when it is discovered that the bankable leading lady's voice is unable to make the talkie transition. Then an aspiring unknown appears, capturing the hearts of Lockwood and company (save the jealous Lamont) and rescuing their film from premature retirement to the vault.
“A lavish MGM production, Singin' in the Rain employs the production headaches of early musicals (effective post-synchronization, wiring talent for sound, etc.) to create an energetic spoof of the old days. The inclusion of popular songs from other musicals, as well as the self-referential tone of this film-within-a-film, revive and reassert the exhuberance of a Hollywood that is all singin', all dancin'.” Laura Thielen