ET 16 SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN IN SINGING IN THE RAIN

The term expressionism is defined as an art form that raises subjective feelings over objective observations.  A famous Austrian writer, playwright, director, and critic by the name of Hermann Bahr once said “Man screams from the depths of his soul; the whole era becomes a single, piercing shriek. Art also screams, into the deep darkness, screams for help, screams for the spirit. This is Expressionism.”  The dance number singing in the rain was an art form that truly portrays expressionism.  The number singing in the rain screamed of joy and happiness after a dreadful down fall.  Heavy rain is usually used by directors and film makers to express a change of weather or in other words a change of emotion; strongly emphasizing on a new beginning or a fresh start.   The number singing in the rain came after a scene that was going to change Don’s life which was turning his failing movie into a musical. From this, viewers get a feel that the rain symbolizes a new beginning not only in terms of Dons carrier but also a new beginning for love.

The mise-en-scene of the act truly depicts what an expressionistic act should be.  Firstly the lighting was not so bright yet not so dim; The street lights was mellow which gave the viewers a feeling of overwhelming relief which usually we tend to get after solving a serious problem in our life.  In the start of the scene Gene Kelly playing Don Lockwood kissed Kathy seldom. Now knowing that he is in love and his carrier is going to take a retour; he is on top of the world and rejects his limo not wanting to be constrained but wanting to embrace Mother Nature’s lovely gift the “rain” which people tend to run away from. This reveals a state of euphoria to his viewers.  Furthermore he added “From where I stand the sun is shining all over the place” this was when  his love warned him of the heavy rain. As the scene carries on he walks down the street while humming with an umbrella over him; however as time goes by he is filled with immense joy and decides to shut his umbrella and enjoy the pouring rain while singing.  As the scene progresses Gene Kelly expressed a childlike joy when he jumped on the light post; he then removed his hat, further embracing the rain and indulging in extreme content.

His choreography also contributed a lot on expressionism the way he played around with his umbrella, the way he danced around the street in a circle, he jumps and dances in the puddle, kicks and plays with water all of which displayed  happiness, joy, ecstasy and an overall positive emotion.  Gene Kelly’s tap dance was remarkable; so graceful and flexible makes viewers feel they are floating in the sky it expresses freedom.  The street also gave a very expressionistic effect; it looked like the streets of Paris and Paris as we all know exuberates Love and freedom.  In my opinion the camera took expressionism to another level. The way it shot Gene Kelly from all angles was remarkable; from the wide shots when he was dancing  to full body shots  when he was walking down the road to close ups when he was using the light post as a prop all contributed to the very expressionistic act. Gene Kelly also showed a change in his atire style during this number, in the begining of the movie he was wearing a white tuxedo with a white overcoat  which depicted Hollywoods elegance and class which did not resemble the general public however in this number he was wearing a regular mans attire. This shows the viewers a sense of change in personality from the fake, egoistic and uptight Don Lockwood to a whole new carefree, true and joyous Don Lockwood.

Both the movies M and singing in the rain were expressionistic and a product of expressionism however the expressionism depicted was very different Gene Kelly’s acting and facial expressions  portrayed positive joyful emotions whereas Fritz  Lang portrayed  negative emotions fear, guilt and suffering.

ET:4 Charlie Chaplin V.S Buster Keaton.

Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton were one of the greatest comedians of their times. Wacthing both their movies in class kept me in the edge of my seat laughing. Both of these comedians were very versatile and each of them had a distinctive style in making people laugh.

First of all Charlie and Buster’s facial expression differs in delivering “funny” to the audience. Viewers laughed at Busters still expression when something went wrong whereas Charlie had diverse facial expressions each different from every situation. Each actor also had a different way coping under various situations. For instance during a conflict scene Charlie would act very rowdy yet still kept his composure however Buster would act very suttle and feeble.. They also differ during romance scenes; Charlie would have more facial expressions and be more compassionate whereas Buster would show a deadpan expression with little emotion.

Both comedians also differ in their sense of dress, walk and gesture. Charlie Chaplin was a very jolly comedian it could be clearly seen from his sense of dress; his pants and shoes looked like a clown, he had a very distinctive walk which I personally call the “duck walk”. Charlie had a very fluid gesture he surprised audiences with his extreme flexibility. Buster on the other hand  had a more serious dressing sense and was formidable. No doubt Buster was flexible in carrying out his dangerous stunts but he did not have Chaplins fluidity and flexibility which made the viewers feel as if they were watching a live circus act.

Although both Charlie and Buster had different styles in delivering their comedy both of them succeeded  to make their audiences laugh, laugh and laugh! I however personally prefer Charlie Chaplin as a comedian firstly his style was like no other ordinary comedian. His fashion sense, the hat, the mustache all contributed to his act of comedy. In his silent movies unlike Busters the audience could understand in detail his message as he was very precise and abrupt with his facial expressions; Buster was at times emotionless. Watching Charlie Chaplins movie kept my attention and suspense building. I always wanted to find out “whats next?” , Busters movie however decreased my attention after some time. Who is a better comedian? For me its Charlie Chaplin!!