Gene Kelly and Me (and Underrated Musicals)
This entry is part 11 of 13 in the series Essays / Analyses.With a new interest in modern musicals like Moulin Rouge!, Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera, Burlesque, Hairspray, Rock of Ages (right), Nine, Mamma Mia!, and the forthcoming Les Miserablés, it seems as though audiences are being reawakened by Hollywood’s finest predecessors. There was a time in cinematic history, namely throughout the 1930s and 1940s, in which some of the most successful motion pictures were those that...
Read MoreGene Kelly’s Style, Influence, and Techniques at the National Media Museum (UK)
This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series Gene Kelly: National Media Museum.Helen continues her discussion of the Gene Kelly course at the National Media Museum… Now focusing on Kelly as a dancer and choreographer, our class at the National Media Museum explored the star’s style, influence and recurring motifs, and the development of his techniques both in front of and behind the camera. In particular, we examined how his wartime experiences in a film unit sparked his interest in the...
Read MoreThe Pirate at the Glasgow Film Festival
This entry is part 6 of 8 in the series Glasgow Film Festival.Wednesday, 22 February, 11am – The Pirate (1948) Pat wasn’t happy with the management, something about “academic introductions” and “pains in the arse.” Related, I think. Although he did remark that our daily host, Allan Hunter, “does very well.” He does, indeed. So well, in fact, that while espousing on Gene and Judy’s onscreen partnership he mentioned Summer Stock (1950) and explained its omission from the...
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...
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