February 22, 2009 9:10 AM
Singin' in the Rain - must-see movie
Once upon a time, you could assume that everyone was familiar with certain cultural cornerstones - like Singin' in the Rain. But since I ran Shirley Temple - just because and some readers said they'd never really watched her old movies, I take nothing for granted.
I want to make a pitch here for old movies, which are charming and witty and full of fun - and the potential to become your family's favorites. Singin' in the Rain is on every movie lover's Top Whatever list. It garnered a perfect 100% from Rotten Tomatoes (my favorite site for checking movie quality - I have others for checking worldview) - well deserved.
If you haven't seen this movie yourself - or if you haven't introduced it to your children - you really need to. Many libraries have it in their collection, or rent from Netflix or Singin' in the Rain (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Here are three clips:
Comments
We've owned a copy of "Singin'" for so long that it's on video.
Sometime in the last two years, after our neighbor's young children keep talking on and on about "High School Musical", we decided to rent it to see what all of the hype was about and so my children wouldn't be cultural idiots amongst their acquaintances. We were not impressed.My son (very "boy", very athletic) who has always been so impressed with the techinal skill of the dancers in "Singin'" has since viewing both, told folks that "High School Musical" is nothing compared to "Singin' in the Rain".
After years of shielding them from not just harmful stuff, but also stuff that's just poor, bad, or junk, I was so pleased that he has an eye for truly quality things.
Just as we predominately eat "grow food" and only occasionally enjoy "fun food" (Dr. Sears' wording), we try to do the same with movies, music, and books.
Just because something is "G" or kid-friendly, doesn't mean that we should waste lots of time viewing it until we have the skills and knowledge to recognize the difference.
There are lots of lists out for the 1000 best books and the 100 must read books, etc. We tend to gravitate to movies with substance and would appreciate seeing a list of must see movies. Anyone?
Posted by: von | February 22, 2009 3:49 PM
"Singin' In the Rain" is truly the greatest musical of all time. I absolutely love it and am looking forward to introducing it to my kids in the next couple of years.
There are two things that are guaranteed to relieve doldrums: P. G. Wodehouse books and "Singin' In the Rain."
Posted by: Rachél | February 22, 2009 8:30 PM
Like Von, I too would love to see a list of good movies!
Posted by: Betty | February 23, 2009 5:58 AM
Funny thing- it was an old college boyfriend of mine who introduced me to this movie. It would be more funny if you knew this guy- very shy and quiet and not the type of person you would expect to be into musicals at all:). This is definitely one of my favorite movies too!
Oh, and if you're looking for a good quality film, Much Ado About Nothing with Kenneth Brannaugh is pretty good for older children you're looking to introduce to Shakespeare. (I'd say ages 12 and above due to the early sequence in the movie where there are people bathing.)
Posted by: Sarah | February 23, 2009 3:41 PM
