When the transition is being made from silent films to “talkies,” everyone has trouble adapting. Don (Gene Kelly) and Lina (Jean Hagen) have been cast repeatedly as a romantic couple, but when their latest film is remade into a musical, only Don has the voice for the new singing part. After a lot of practice with a diction coach, Lina still sounds terrible, and Kathy (Debbie Reynolds), a bright young aspiring actress, is hired to record over her voice.

Presented on 35mm

Glenn Kenny is a film critic who writes for The New York Times, RogerEbert.com, The Boston Globe, and the Criterion Collection among others. He is the author of the book Made Men: The Story of Goodfellas.