Singin' in the Rain (The song and movie) Cultral Context
Historical Context
Technological Context
Geograpical Context
Hollywood was becoming a bustling city encouraging many other artists and filmmakers.
The period in time in which the film was created
Siningin' in the rain was filmed after both World Wars, but at the time the US was in the peak of the Cold War.
Hollywood = "The city of dreams" was beginning to form.
Many people where travelling to Hollywood from around the globe and inside the United States.
Motion picture studios (including Independent companies) where rapidly being established.
The American Dream had changed from the Great Depression standard to a more film standard.
Most scenes had to be shot over several days.
The song singin' in the rain scene was filmed over 3-4 days but the seamless transitions makes it look like a 1 shot take.
The cameras where all placed into specific shots in order to achieve the 1 shot look.
Production buget was 2.5 million at the time of shooting. (roughly 25 Million in todays money)
Changing the prespective
The tools, products and methods used to create a film.
The rain and colour used throughout the movie was done with immense amount of funding (for that time period) provided by MGM. The funding helped create the well famous singing in the rain shot and produce the film in colour. During the filming of this scene it is well known that the initial shoot of the song was done over 3-4 days. With cameras meticulously placed through out the set to create continuity, we see that these moves seemed to be head of its time. The rain would have also been done with precision and it would have costed thousands.
Motion picture studios in Hollywood had only been set up for 30 years prior to the shooting and release of Singing' in the Rain.
However the US was not effected financially after World War 1 and it was only WW|| and the Cold War.
Colour! Coloured tv and film was a new product at the time of release.
At the time of this movies shooting, America had been through (or was currently going through) three major domino like chain events which included the rest of the world. The 1929 Wall Street crash, WW|| and the Cold War had heavily impacted and influence America's economy around the filming of this movie. Taking into account America's cultural situation we see hints of relevant themes in this song. For example, the types of clothing, the dancing style Don Lockwood shows and even down to the set design points this film into the cultural standpoints and ways of life in the 1950's. This film is certainly affected by America's past and its easy to tell its a product of its time.
Singin' in the rain was created around the "Golden Era"
The geographical location of the films origin
Singin' in the rain was filmed in and released in Hollywood, at the time a new and up coming place for filmmakers and inspiring artists to gather and collaborate. During its filming, Hollywood was gaining in popularity for many people who wanted to live out their American dream (which had changed rapidly in the last couple of years). The new standard of living in a white picket fenced home was now the "normal" that people wanted to experience compared to the Great Depression American Dream of just having a stable income. The geographical location of Hollywood made it easy for people to arrive by boats and planes, and the weather provided comfortable living standards when compared to other places in the world.
Studios had only been created 20 years earlier.
Changing our persepctives and understanding a films cultural context paints very different pictures for the viewer's. Gaining a simple understanding of context surrounding the making of the film or even the time period of the film creates a new experience and opens our eyes just a little more. Cultural Context gives us a greater understanding of the importance of film that people in the future or past may never understand. This different view creates new ways of knowing and understandings of different nations or cultures. Film's can also impact history or generate false history in warning. Take the dystopia reality genre for example. Examples of these types of movies is 'The Hunger Games' or 'The Maze Runner' franchises. These movies show us what could happen if something was to go wrong giving us a greater understanding of the world and its political terms and views.
Works Cited:
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Musical Film | Britannica.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, www.britannica.com/art/musical-film.
“The American Film Industry in the Early 1950s | Encyclopedia.com.” Encyclopedia.com, 2019, www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/american-film-industry-early-1950s.
McKittrick, Christopher McKittrick Christopher McKittrick is a film writer whose work has been featured in anthologies such as 100 Entertainers Who Changed America our editorial process Christopher. “The History of Hollywood’s Major Movie Studios.” LiveAbout, www.liveabout.com/big-six-movie-studios-4151130. Accessed 15 Aug. 2021.
History.com Editors. “Hollywood.” HISTORY, 21 Aug. 2018, www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/hollywood.
GradeSaver. “Singin’ in the Rain Themes | GradeSaver.” Www.gradesaver.com, www.gradesaver.com/singin-in-the-rain/study-guide/themes. Accessed 15 Aug. 2021.
“$2,500,000 in 1952 → 2021 | Inflation Calculator.” Www.in2013dollars.com, www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1952?amount=2500000. Accessed 15 Aug. 2021.