Singin' in the Rain (1952)

My first impression is that this is just a fun, light-hearted musical, not much else to say right? Well, upon closer examination I've realized the story of  "Singin' in the Rain" is quite robust, deceptively complex and thoroughly fulfilling.

Stripped down to it's essence, what we're talking about is adapting to change - the movie industry is being revolutionized, and our main characters are forced to change with the times, or be left behind.

Interestingly,  I've found that the real driving force here is Cosmo Brown. Don Lockwood is the center of attention throughout the movie, but does very little to move the story forward. Cosmo on the other hand is something of a hero - early on it's shown that Don, despite his motto: "Dignity. Always, dignity", suffers from low self esteem, Cosmo is constantly setting him straight; cheering him up and reminding him why they're in show business in the first place:

Don: "I'm no actor. I never was. Just a bunch of dumb show. I know that now."

Cosmo: "What's the first thing an actor learns? "The show must go on!' Come rain, come shine, come snow, come sleet, the show MUST go on!"

When 'talkies' are introduced Cosmo recognizes the threat immediately:

Cosmo: "Talking pictures, that means I'm out of a job."

He's also the one who suggests the solution, to convert the film they're working on into a musical, he comes up with the idea of Kathy replacing Lina's voice, he even comes up with the entire new plot of the picture.

Appropriately, Cosmo is also the first character introduced in the film. By any reasonable definition, Cosmo Brown is the protagonist of this story.

Coming back to the main theme "Adapting to change" Don and Lina are critical, in that they demonstrate two possible outcomes to this problem.

 - Don Lockwood, with Cosmo's encouragement, overcomes his personal insecurities and rediscovers his passion as an entertainer: he embraces the change and is rewarded handsomely.
  - Lina Lamont on the other hand, spends the entire movie refusing to learn, adapt or change in any way. In the end she is so intent on bending everyone else to her desires that she resorts to blackmail; a desperate attempt to secure herself from the impending change. Ultimately, this is her undoing as she is publicly humiliated, ending her career in disgrace and ridicule.