ABSTRACT
Gene Kelly, drenched and euphoric, dancing down the street in the driving rain, swinging his umbrella and singing of his love for Debbie Reynolds-this sequence from Singin’ in the Rain is one of the great moments in cinema.1 Why does it so enthrall us? Heroes in love and singing about it are a dime a dozen in Hollywood musicals. The simple but catchy song Kelly sings and the brilliant dance that accompanies it are part of it-but not the whole story, for Singin’ in the Rain is cinematic, a sound moving picture. The way those “pictures” of Kelly are composed, edited, and integrated with the music makes the difference. It provides a multi-sensory experience unique to sound cinema.
