
Singin' in the Rain
Peter Wollen(Author)
BFI Publishing
2nd Edition
Published on 31. July 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
88 pages
978-1-84457-514-5 (ISBN)
Description
Sixty years after its release, Singin' in the Rain (1951) remains one of the best loved films ever made. Yet despite dazzling success with the public, it never received its fair share of critical analysis. Gene Kelly's genius as a performer is undeniable. Acknowledged less often is his innovatory contribution as director. Peter Wollen's illuminating study of Singin' in the Rain does justice to this complex film. In a brilliant shot-by-shot analysis of the famous title number, he shows how skilfully Kelly weaves the dance and musical elements into the narrative, successfully combining two distinctive traditions within American Dance: tap and ballet. At the time of the film's production, its scriptwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and indeed Kelly himself, were all under threat from McCarthyism. Wollen describes how the fallout from blacklisting curtailed the careers of many of those who worked on the film and argues convincingly that the film represents the high point in their careers. In his foreword to this special edition, published to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the BFI Film Classics series, Geoff Andrew looks at the film's legacy and celebrates the passion, lucidity and originality of Wollen's analysis. Summing up its enduring appeal, Andrew writes: 'Singin' in the Rain isn't just a musical, it's a movie about the movies.'
More details
Series
Edition
2nd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Illustrations
27 b/w photos
Dimensions
Height: 190 mm
Width: 135 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
140 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84457-514-5 (9781844575145)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Peter Wollen
Singin' in the Rain
E-Book
07/2019
1st Edition
BFI Publishing
€13.99
Available for download
Previous edition

Peter Wollen
"Singin' in the Rain"
Book
11/1992
BFI Publishing
€36.08
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Persons
PETER WOLLEN taught film at UCLA. He is the author of several books, including Signs and Meaning in the Cinema, first published in 1969 and reprinted in a new edition in 2012, and the co-writer (with Mark Peploe) of Michelangelo Antonioni's The Passenger (Professione: Reporter) (1974). GEOFF ANDREW is Head of Film Programme at BFI Southbank, and was previously Film Editor of Time Out London. He is the author of two volumes in the BFI Modern Classics series, The 'Three Colours' Trilogy (1998) and 10 (2005), and of The Films of Nicholas Ray: The Poet of Nightfall (2004).
Author
University of California, USA
Foreword
Programmer-at-Large for BFI Southbank
Content
Foreword Geoff Andrew.- 'Singin' in the Rain'.- Notes.- Credits.- Bibliography.