Utopia (and A Tad of Misery) in the Gene Kelly Film at the National Media Museum (UK)
This entry is part 5 of 6 in the series Gene Kelly: National Media Museum.Helen continues her discussion of the Gene Kelly course at the National Media Museum… [Entire series here.] An introduction to Richard Dyer’s five categories of non-representational elements that suggest the feelings of a utopia kicked off our session on Kelly’s persona. Dyer’s five categories — Energy, Abundance, Intensity, Transparency and Community — were discussed in the context of Kelly’s...
Read MoreBrigadoon at the National Media Museum (UK)
This entry is part 4 of 6 in the series Gene Kelly: National Media Museum.Helen continues her discussion of the Gene Kelly course at the National Media Museum… [Entire series here.] The class’s next screening was the much-maligned Brigadoon. This musical is not one of my Kelly favourites although there are some delightful moments such as the “Heather on the Hill” number withKelly and Cyd Charisse (right) and the wonderfully fast-paced, noisy, neurotic New York scenes with...
Read MoreThe World’s His Stage: Gene Kelly at The National Media Museum (UK)
This entry is part 1 of 6 in the series Gene Kelly: National Media Museum.Whilst flicking through Twitter one evening, I spotted a tweet from @GeneKellyFans promoting a course at the National Media Museum in Bradford, UK. to celebrate the centenary of Gene Kelly’s birth. Long story short, I immediately cleared my Wednesday nights for the next seven weeks and signed up. I must confess to both a personal and academic interest here as I start a part-time PhD later this year, researching...
Read MoreBrigadoon (and Gene Kelly Ceilidh) at the Glasgow Film Festival
This entry is part 8 of 8 in the series Glasgow Film Festival.Saturday, 25 February, 19:30, St Andrews in the Square – Brigadoon (1954) | Gene Kelly Ceilidh Finally! This is the event I’ve been waiting for all year since I first learned of the GFT’s Gene retrospective. What on earth would a Gene Kelly Ceilidh comprise of? A Ceilidh (caley), for those of you who may be unfamiliar with this uniquely Caledonian pastime, is an evening of traditional Scottish dancing, a social gathering to...
Read MoreStrictly Song and Dance: Gene Kelly at the Glasgow Film Festival (An Intro)
This entry is part 1 of 8 in the series Glasgow Film Festival.Glasgow has always been a city in love with cinema. Since the 1930s the city has borne the proud title of ’Cinema City,’ a testament to the 130 cinemas (more, per capita, than any city outside of the USA) catering for film-obsessed Glaswegians during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Sadly, all but a couple have been demolished or redeveloped into Bingo Halls, Social Clubs and, on one occasion, an Adult Cinema — itself an eventual...
Read MoreGene Kelly Ceilidh
After a screening of Brigadoon, a ceilidh closed the Gene Kelly section of this year’s Glasgow Film Festival. Pictures available here on...
Read MoreLive-Tweeting Brigadoon
Brigadoon aired on TCM today as part of its 31 Days of Oscar. Several fans live-tweeted it, which we’ve captured here: [View the story "Brigadoon on TCM's 31 Days of Oscar" on Storify] Google+
Read MoreGene Kelly: The Underrated Singer
This entry is part 9 of 13 in the series Essays / Analyses.Fans, scholars, and critics alike talk all the time about Gene Kelly the dancer, Gene Kelly the director, Gene Kelly the choreographer, and Gene Kelly the actor. But rarely do they discuss Gene Kelly the singer. As a singer who is completely enchanted by Kelly’s light, clear, and pure tenor voice, I often wonder why it doesn’t get the appreciation it should. In fact, I once did a presentation on his singing voice in a high...
Read MoreGene Kelly vs. Fred Astaire: A Fan Weighs In
This entry is part 7 of 13 in the series Essays / Analyses.Over the years, Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly have been compared and contrasted endlessly. They were often featured together in retrospectives in film, television, and even in a commercial. I shouldn’t be surprised if they got a bit tired of seeing each other at some level! And yet such a practice on the part of the public is understandable: when it came to male cinematic dancing in the 1940s and ’50s, the two of them were...
Read MoreMasculinity, Credibility, and Gene Kelly: A Scotsman’s Quandary
This entry is part 7 of 13 in the series Essays / Analyses.Being a fan of Gene Kelly, and film musicals in general, has burdened me with two formidable dichotomies since my childhood: how to defend my masculinity as a heterosexual male and my credibility as a student of Scottish history. The film musical genre, as I am told constantly, is the forte of gay men, a more potent defining characteristic, it would seem, than any lifestyle choice. Stand-up comics and a host of poorly written...
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