As Singin’ in the Rain (Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, 1952) begins, viewers are catapulted straight into the world of 1920s Hollywood. Lights shine, welcoming us to the premiere of The Royal Rascal, Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont’s (Jean Hagen) newest blockbuster silent film. The opening scene of this film seems as though it is telling us exactly what we will see in the coming hours: complete artifice. As I saw this scene I thought to myself: what is less authentic than a red carpet? We see facades on red carpets all the time in popular culture: celebrities are carefully done up, they wear beautiful, elaborate gowns and suits (that they are typically being lent just to promote), they pose in perfectly trained ways that highlight their best features, and as they approach the interviewers on the carpet, they respond with their (already prepared) answers that reflect them in the best way possible. Everything about a red carpet is fake, and back in the times of Singin’ in the Rain, this was especially true when it came to stars’ dates on the carpet. Often, Hollywood studios paired off different stars to promote new films, making them go to carpets together to get the public interested and talking. (Two weeks ago I wrote about Rock Hudson who was a real-life example of an actor who had many photo-op red carpet dates). Kelly and Donen’s choice to open the film with the red-carpet scene establishes the themes of lies and deceit right from the start. 

Throughout the film, we see these themes come to life through the characters. On the red carpet, Don Lockwood tells the story of his rise to fame which he embellishes heavily. At one point Don states to the interviewer at the carpet that “audiences everywhere loved [him and Cosmo]” at their dance concerts, when in reality, the audience is seen booing the men after their performance. It is interesting that even when Don is at the top of Hollywood, starring in films constantly, he feels the need to embellish the story of how he got to where he is. Additionally, Don picks and chooses when he wants to use him and Lina’s fake relationship to his benefit. On the red carpet and on the stage, Don expresses adoration for Lina, but in the studio and away from the public, he wants nothing to do with her. In a way, Don feels like the most inauthentic character throughout the entire film; it is only at the very end of the film that Don finds a newfound commitment to authenticity as he plans the grand reveal of Kathy Selden (Debbie Renyolds) behind the curtain. 

Although this may be up for debate, I found myself sympathizing with Lina Lamont. It feels as though her character was made to be the villain from the beginning, but in reality, Lina is the main character that wants to throw away the facade of Hollywood (at least until the end of the movie…). From the first moment that Lina speaks, she states her desire to show her true self to the public. She raises her voice to Don and the executives saying, “can’t a girl get a word in edgewise.” It is clear that the men don’t want Lina to speak because of the interesting and off-putting tone of her voice. Throughout the rest of the film, Lina is angered by the film executives and Don trying to conceal her voice in basically any way possible. This is completely fair, and I think if many people were in her position they too would be upset. However, the film’s narrative is structured to make us dislike Lina for wanting to be heard, and instead support Kathy and her rise to fame.

I think it is extremely interesting that the one character that aims to be authentic throughout the entire film is silenced by basically all the other characters. In fact, it isn’t until about thirteen minutes in that Lina Lamont says her first lines in the film, and she was in multiple scenes before that moment, just without saying a word. Though it is important to recognize the elaborate musical numbers that interrupt dialogue during the film and the over-exaggerated noises of crowds and props especially during the first screening of The Duelling Cavalier, I found the silence of Lina Lamont throughout the first thirteen minutes of the film to be the most notable use of sound (or more-so lack of sound) throughout the film. This directorial choice to silence Lina Lamont and introduce her as a soft, introverted star ties perfectly into the themes of lies and deceit that dominate this movie. It isn’t until I heard Lina speak for the first time that I realized the assumptions I made about her were entirely untrue- she is not a soft-spoken, shy woman, she is a woman that is silenced.