Story: Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont, Hollywood’s most glamorous on-screen couple, must cope with the transition from silent to sound film – which would be great if he could act or if she had a tolerable speaking voice.
Judgment: The greatest movie musical of all time – and one of the great movies period. The enthusiasm bursting from the screen may embarrass some modern viewers at first but damn if this doesn’t put a smile on your face. The snappy comedic dialogue and the innovative choreography of Gene Kelly elevate the admittedly recycled songbook.
What’s it all mean: One of the most self-reflexive films ever, without being showy about it. Kelly pioneered a character-based style of dancing for film, and several scenes touch on the improbable alchemy by which the artifice of Hollywood can create great art. “Make ‘Em Laugh” is a full-throated defense of populist entertainment over moribund solemnity, a stance validated by the lasting legacy of this film vis-a-vis its more prestigious contemporary An American in Paris.
Essential scene: The title number performed by Gene Kelly.
