Watched on Blu-Ray

What else is there to say about the movie which has the misleading German title "Du sollst mein Glücksstern sein" (You shall be my lucky star)? The era of classical musicals has reached its peak here. Everything simply fits and harmonises, it's my ultimate comfort movie:

Gene Kelly is simply PHENOMENAL. His singing, but of course above all his choreography, seems so light and realistic on the one hand (the famous rain scene) and so acrobatic and artistically aesthetic on the other (as in the ingenious ballet scenes) that you can't take your eyes off him. He is complemented by the very likeable Debbie Reynolds, of whom it is said that she had no musical experience before the film and trained with Kelly until her feet bled, and Donald O'Connor. Both are absolutely great, even though it is clear who is the master of the three, especially in the joint "Good Morning" scene.

In general, the film plays extremely cleverly with the principle of imitating reality. Actually, this is the basic theme of every musical film, as the world is artistically transposed in a completely different transfigured way. The film explicitly addresses this principle by looking at film-historical material. Reality and artistically altered imitation are dealt with specifically through the silent film itself, but also through the later dubbing. It already begins with the career of a successful artist, which is wonderfully portrayed in contrast through image and language, as well as the lie of the screen couple in love ("Dignity, always dignity!") and is later taken to extremes in the romantic declaration of love in front of a studio backdrop. In this context, there is also a funny reference to the slapstick humour of the silent films, through O'Connor's great over-the-top number. Through this, the surreality of the medium of film is thematised and satirised. The dream sequence in particular is wonderfully designed to highlight a kind of wishful thinking. The ingenious set design and the camera angles are to be emphasised here in particular. All the choreography is almost without cuts, which must have been an enormous challenge, especially for the actors, e.g. in "Good Morning" (from time to time my wake-up song, alternating with The National's "Fake Empire"), or the two impressive ballet scenes (that long waving veil is simply fantastic).

Last but not least, of course, a sentence has to be said about the music. Every single song has an absolutely catchy character. You immediately imagine the corresponding scene. "Singin' in the Rain" of course steals the show and you will find yourself singing the song inwardly, or in my case out loud, for hours after watching the film. Kelly's good mood and fun while singing and dancing is simply infectious.

In summary, the film is an absolute MUST for anyone who has even a rudimentary interest in musicals. The songs, the actors, the choreography, the set designs, the extremely charming and multi-layered plot form a great unit and offer much more than just solid entertainment. It is pure good humour! The value of the film is also evident in modern choreography and films (think "The Artist" and "La La Land"). So don't be put off by the age of the film, which you don't notice at all, and definitely watch it!!! There is not the slightest thing to criticise. Highly recommended!