(July 17, 2025 at 1:27 am)Rev. Rye Wrote: My favorite film of all time has this scene:
Two stories that I knew and one I didn’t:
1) The reason it made it in the film was because it was the only song Malcolm McDowell knew by heart. Kubrick was initially uneasy about it, but only because it meant He had to buy the rights to it.
2) Shortly after the film’s release, McDowell got to meet Gene Kelly at a party. Gene’s response was to give him the cold shoulder.
What I didn’t know: it might seem like the obvious reason Gene Kelly was pissed off was because McDowell took this iconic and wholesome moment:
And juxtaposed it with the prelude to a woman getting raped.
It turns out this is not so.
Years later, he told the story and Gene Kelly’s widow actually cleared it up. He wasn’t actually mad at Malcolm. He was mad at Kubrick. Why? Because Kubrick had used Gene’s version for the credits and he hadn’t been paid.
For all his talent, Gene Kelly could be a colossal tool.
Boru
‘I can’t be having with this.’ - Esmeralda Weatherwax
