Female Sexuality In Singin In The Rain

In ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ (1952), female sexuality is far more demonised than in comparison to ‘Grease’ (1978). For example, in Singin’ in the Rain, we see Cathy and Lina placed in contrast with each other, almost in private competition for the audience. Singin’ in the Rain was released in 1952, and traditional 50s values are presented in Cathy. She is modest and humble, while still being talented and skilled, as well as being naturally conventionally attractive. In all these aspects, Lina is the antithesis of Cathy. Where Cathy is humble, Lina is prideful and boastful - in addition to a major aspect of the film being a distinction between the musical talent of the two characters. Another key differentiation is in the clothing and aesthetics

In contrast, Lina wears far more flashy outfits, dramatic and grandiose. In the scene of her pretending to sing for an audience, she wears a figure hugging dress with sequins lining the ‘top’ and extending out into a skirt of feathers. This concisely displays how Lina contains all ideas of what 1950s women should not be. Pitting Cathy and Lina against each other also puts their qualities and aesthetics in contrast, and since ultimately Cathy is presented as the ‘victor’, the audience should suppose that she is the superior contender - the better woman. In the 1950s, women were typically expected to be housewives and mothers, living to provide. How could Lina ever commit herself to another, if all she focuses on is attention and fame - during a party scene she is seen taking whilst surrounded by men adoring her, indicating she revels in the attention. However, in Grease, the characters are much more open about their sexuality, talking and discussing experiences, and a number of them dressing in a more revealing way. In the 1970s, the era of the production of the film - a legal and social change was taking place, women’s

In ‘Grease’, there is a clear sense of nostalgia throughout the film. Bright colours and vivid imagery are key elements, portraying the past as a happy and care-free time. The colourful nature of the film, in addition to its genre as a musical, creates an almost fantastical and dreamlike feeling, adding to the illusion of untroubled and jovial times in history. The fact that the film is set in a high school where all the characters are teenagers is also important, as it shows a longing for a period in one's life of naivety with little worry for the world outside their own experience. Whilst the film is still set in the period of the Cold War, it is indicative of reminiscence of a time in their lives in which people weren’t worrying about a global conflict and the potential outcomes. ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ also displays a longing for the past, being made in 1952, in the midst of the Cold War. However, unlike ‘Grease’ it is set in a time before the beginning of the Cold War, in 1927 - between the Cold War and the First World War. The film being set at the dawn of a new era in Hollywood and technology aligns with the hope for a new beginning after the end of one of the most major wars in history, and hope for a brighter future, for both cinema and the US. Additionally, the film was made during the Red Scare of 1947-1957, adding to a recollection of times