Singin’ in the Rain was spectacular. While I went into the movie expecting a musical that was grainy and dull, it depicted so much more; indeed, the variety of sound and color used in the film gave it an appearance of being far beyond its years and provided nonstop action and entertainment for me. The large choreographed dance sessions, the bright lights, and above all the humor made for a very enjoyable viewing experience.
The use of sound plays a key role in shaping the film’s storyline and adding onto the comedic and emotional elements of the film. The main idea of the film centers around Don Lockwood and Cosmo Brown’s quest to save “Dueling Cavalier” from destroying Lockwood’s career. What follows is an abysmal attempt to build on the success that Warner Brothers had in its production of The Jazz Singer, producing a halfhearted film with off putting noises, asynchronous sound, and more. In an effort to portray the imperfections of “Dueling Cavalier,” the sound is exaggerated in almost every instance: the screech of the beads, the thumping of Lina Lamont’s heart, and of course Lina’s loud and obnoxious voice make the film not just bad, but terrible. Similarly, in the rest of the movie, when characters begin singing they go on hyperbolic tangents: running up walls, flipping over couches, swinging around street lights and more, signaling the lightheartedness that people can find in unfortunate situations.
Additionally, in much of the choreography and even spanning into regular interactions with one another—like when Don and Cosmo are brainstorming the new name for “Dueling Cavalier”—there is extensive “mickey mousing” that depicts the movements of the actors lining up with the sounds in the scene, adding a comical or extra theatrical element to the film. In a comedic sense, the film leans into a level of unseriousness that is expressed through its overly dramatic visuals and auditory capacity. Glass shattered, shirts ripped, walls smashed, the sound of the film heightens the comedic elements and uses overexpression to reflect all of the possibilities that the absorption of sound into film implemented. The film employs a plethora of diegetic and nondiegetic sounds: between dialogue, comedic effects, and the persistent overlay of music during many scenes, the movie plays with the use of sound both in and around the characters. In fact, one of the most important parts of the film is Kathy Selden’s outsource of non diegetic sound to “Dancing Cavalier,” giving the impression of diegetic sound to the viewers. This lead me to ask the question: what plays a bigger role in shaping the film’s identity, its diegetic or non-diegetic sound? Sound played a pivotal role in shaping the viewers perception of the characters and establishing many of the themes in the film, and was brilliantly utilized in such an old film.
Hi Gordon,
I am definitely in the same boat as you in regard to my impression of the film, as the quality of production and entertainment aspect well exceeded my initial expectations. I think you make a very interesting point about how comedic effect is one of the main roles of sound in this film, mentioning certain instances where it used to provide audible clues to a situation to indicate that something is off. As you mentioned, we see this most notably in the scene where the microphone is attached to Lina Lamont’s dress, picking up noises irrelevant to the script. Whereas the sound/music usually has a role in further expressing the action happening on screen throughout the film, the soundscape in this particular scene shows a conflict against the theatrical vision that the characters are trying to portray.
To answer your question about whether diegetic or non-diegetic sound plays a more important role in shaping the film’s identity, I would argue in favor of diegetic sound. Although many non-diegetic sound elements such as the score are crucial for establishing the tone of a song/scene, I think that when it comes to singing scenes it has a role of complementing the vocals of the song (diegetic sound); the singing has a more important role in establishing the melody and providing meaning through the lyrics. Dialogue, another form of diegetic sound, is vital in conveying the storyline, which is arguably the most important factor in differentiating films.
Hey Gordon,
I completely relate to your initial expectations; I wasn’t sure what to expect going into “Singin’ in the Rain”, but similarly, I was really surprised by how enjoyable it was. The film’s bright colors and sound design felt ahead of its time, and the humor had me laughing all throughout. I totally agree about how crucial sound is to the film’s story, especially in “The Dueling Cavalier”. The exaggerated sound effects, like Lina’s obnoxious voice and the dialogue that was completely out of sync, highlight the struggles of early sound filmmaking while also adding timeless humor. Without those exaggerated moments, the humor would not have been the same; it’s surprising how contemporary the humor was considering the film is over 70 years old. I also agree with your point about the hyperbolic dance sequences, like Don flipping over couches or swinging around lamp posts in “Singin’ in the Rain.” These musical numbers that were totally over the top, paired with non-diegetic music, show how the film embraced creativity and lightheartedness, allowing the characters to find joy even in difficult moments. The “mickey mousing” technique, especially in scenes like Don and Cosmo’s brainstorming session, adds another layer of comedy by synchronizing their movements with sound. It really emphasizes the film’s exaggerated, almost cartoonish style, making even simple moments feel dynamic. How do you think “Singin’ in the Rain” would be different if it focused more on the personal struggles of characters adapting to the new era of sound in film, rather than leaning so heavily into comedy and musical numbers?
Hi Gordon,
I really want to comment on you question regarding what plays a bigger role in film, diegetic or non-diegetic. I think it can really depend on what the director is trying to convey in a particular scene or the entire film. The use of diegetic sounds really helps to viewer immersed in the plot of the film. For example, I remember in Hitchcock’s Rear Window, there were a lot of sounds like the piano playing, street noises, and dog barking. All those information makes the entire scene as they provide information about the setting the main character is in. I would say diegetic sound is more important in this case. However in the Zone of Interest, Glazor purposefully start the film with non-diegetic sounds in the beginning for 3 minutes without any images to let the viewers feel uncomfortable and create this haunting scene. I would say in this film, both are really important as the gun shots and screaming in the background add on to the non-diegetic feeling. In Singin in the rain, the two blends in together, and the exaggeration really builds off for the intention of a comedy.