Singin’ in the Rain was my first exposure to old movies. When I was very young, my mom brought home a copy from the library. I fell in love with it and I watched it as much as I could, until she finally had to return it. (That was a very sad day!)
A few months later, the day before one of my surgeries, my mom brought me into the living room. “I have a surprise for you,” she said. “It’s hidden somewhere in this room, and you have to find it.” I hunted around, and (with a few subtle hints from Mom) finally lifted a pillow off the couch to reveal a DVD of Singin’ in the Rain.
The joy I felt in that moment was so overwhelming that I don’t even remember the surgery.
It was also special because it was the first time I had a DVD that I could truly call my own. That was my copy of Singin’ in the Rain. I don’t know why, but that was very important to me. I felt so grown up!
From there, I watched as many of Gene Kelly’s movies as I could. That eventually led to the discovery of the That’s Entertainment Trilogy and introduced me to more old musicals. My dad noticed I enjoyed them, and started bringing home classic non-musical films he though I’d like too, like Casablanca.
Over the years, I’ve loved exploring and discovering what the world of classic cinema has to offer. I have Gene to thank for all of that. He’s the reason I have this blog. He’s the reason I get to be part of this wonderful community. Even from that very first “meeting” when he was jumping in those puddles, he’s felt like an old friend. Gene, it all started with you.
Yesterday was the 28th anniversary of his passing. To honor his contributions to dance on film, I’ll be sharing a little bit about two different movies: An American in Paris, and the Scottish Ballet’s 2021 revival of Gene’s ballet, Starstruck.
An American in Paris
An American in Paris won six Academy Awards (including Best Picture), and Gene received an honorary Oscar “‘in appreciation of his versatility as an actor, singer, director and dancer, and specifically for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film.’”
Of course, we see that creativity especially in the 17-minute ballet at the end of the film. Director Vincente Minelli said “we knew in a vague way that it had to incorporate parts of Paris that artists had painted, but we had no time to figure this out until Nina Foch [who played Milo Roberts] came down with chicken pox. There was nothing left to shoot whatsoever, so [costume designer] Irene Sharaff, and Gene Kelly and I locked ourselves in my office for hours and hours and hours on end. We worked out the entire ballet during those days. It was the luckiest chicken pox I’ve ever known.”
When the team pitched the ballet to Dore Schary (who had just become the new head of production), Gene recalls “[Schary] finally said ‘Wait a minute. Wait a minute! I don’t understand one word that you’re all talking about, but you know something, it looks good and I trust you people… Get out go here and go and do it.’”
You can watch An American in Paris on various streaming services such as Amazon Prime and Apple TV. You can find subtitle information for the DVD here.
Starstruck
I want to spend a little more time on this one, because although it's a "modern" production, it has my heart! Gene Kelly’s Pas de Dieux premiered at the Palais Garnier in the 1960s. According to his widow, Patricia Ward Kelly, he was the first American-born choreographer to premiere a work at the Paris Opera House, and one of the first to introduce the ‘American style’ to Europe.
As a lifelong fan of Gene’s, I was so excited to hear that the Scottish Ballet was going to collaborate with Patricia Ward Kelly to revive his work, which was renamed Starstruck. Every aspect of the presentation took my breath away. The costumes, the sets, and of course George Gershwin’s wonderful music, all blended together to create pure magic.
I was blown away by how talented the dancers were. Christopher Harrison, Sophie Martin, Nicholas Shoesmith, and Bruno Micchiardi were the standouts, but the entire company was fantastic. Harrison pointed out that they had a difficult job to do, because “the ballet and the jazz… are fused together, [and] you don’t want to look like a ballet dancer doing jazz or a jazz dancer trying to do ballet.” I’m not going to claim to know anything about dance, but it seems to me that the dancers all did an excellent job combining the two–especially since most, if not all, of the dancers were classically trained and had to learn the jazz style for this show.
I love how many times Starstruck alluded to moments from Gene’s films. I actually filled two pages with references I spotted, as well as references to other musicals of the golden age—and I’m sure there are many more I didn’t spot. I’ll spare you from reading all of them (maybe I’ll make another post about it sometime though 👀), but I wanted to share a few. Although these all happen in the few few minutes, the entire production is rich in these references to his movies, making it a real treat for Gene Kelly fans.
Not 2 minutes in, a stage hand slides open two doors to reveal a giant darkened stage with a ladder—reminiscent of Gene and Debbie Reynolds’ “You Were Meant For Me” in Singin’ in the Rain.
As Harrison dances alone in the rehearsal room, we see his shadows on the wall, which brings to mind Gene dancing on the wooden steps during his “newspaper dance” in Summer Stock.
Harrison dances with Martin’s reflection, which reminds me of Cover Girl (although Gene dances with his own reflection in that number).
When I watched Bruno Micchiardi enter the dressing room for the first time, I laughed out loud with delight. His outfit seems to directly reference the one Gene wears during the “Tra La La” number from An American in Paris. Micchiardi has that same joy and carefree attitude as Gene does in that scene, and it feels so nostalgic.
Some other thoughts:
The cinematography is beautiful. I adore the simplicity of some of the sets. Starstruck really feels like an old movie: The production numbers are always spectacular, yet you don’t need a lot of glitz to create a stunning moment. This film does a wonderful job with both. And as a whole, it’s so whimsical. The little, what I would call “dream sequence” bits, such as Harrison dancing with the reflection of Martin in the mirror, don’t feel forced. They work themselves into the plot seamlessly, and help the viewer understand what the characters are thinking or feeling.
Something I’ve always loved about the “‘let’s put on a show!’” musicals (like Summer Stock or The Band Wagon) was that viewers get to “meet” various members of the cast throughout the movie. Even if the focus isn’t on members of the ensemble, we recognize them and follow them as they rehearse; we feel their joys and successes, their frustrations and setbacks. We become a part of their family, and at the end when they debut their show, we get to cheer for them and be a part of their triumph. And from the beginning, Starstruck sets us up for this, preparing us to take that journey with these dancers.
If you’re a fan of Gene Kelly and want to see an example of his work behind the camera, Starstruck is a beautiful tribute to his creative genius. You can watch the film with Marquee TV subscription, or purchase the DVD on Amazon. There is no dialogue, and therefore there are no subtitles. The behind-the-scenes video is available with subtitles on both the DVD and the Scottish Ballet’s website.
Sources:
Griffin, M. (2010). A hundred or more hidden things: The life and films of Vincente Minnelli. Da Capo Press.
MGM. (1951). An American in Paris.
The Scottish Ballet and Forest of Black. (2021). Starstruck.
Scottish Ballet: Starstruck (film) - In the Spotlight. (n.d.).
Starstruck (film). Scottish Ballet. (n.d.). https://scottishballet.co.uk/discover/our-repertoire/starstruck-film/
Comments