Gene Kelly used to create breakdancing "Singin' in the Rain" for Volkswagen (1 Viewer)

[Patrick McCart]

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-vide...27/golfgti.mov

Here's the commercial which uses digitally manipulated bits of Singin' in the Rain.

In other news, the U.S. has solved energy problems by harnessing the electrical power from Gene Kelly spinning in his grave.

 

[Dave_P.]

Good lord. I guess people will allow you to do anything if the price is right.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Just out of curiosity - if someone had used cel-based animation to create an animated character who was recognizably Gene Kelly from Singin In The Rain doing the same thing, would that be as objectionable?

 

[Amy Mormino]

Well, Gene in his later years did attempt to appear in step with modern trends in the movie "Xanadu". I think he even attempted a little disco dancing. Not his finest moment, but if he did that, I'm not sure he would have objected to breakdancing. And I'm sure his estate doesn't object to the money Volkswagon paid!

 

[Ricardo C]

Perhaps he wouldn't have objected. Myself, I think the ad's pretty funny, and not disrespectful of Mr. Kelly at all. But he's not around to be asked, and so this shouldn't have been done.

 

[Ben_@]

While it may be questionable as to its "respect to the material" its a pretty neat achievement of technology. Also, Gene Kelly was such a strong dancer that its quite possible (had he wanted to) that he could have actually performed it.
I also like the remix of the song. Not at all traditional, but i'm a big fan of this kind of stuff- provided the original material still exists unaltered.

 

[TheLongshot]

But his estate is, and their purpose is to decide such things, so blame them for it.

Personally, I thought it was rather bizzare.

Jason

 

[Todd Terwilliger]

I don't like companies pimping dead people for their wares. I don't care whether the estate gave the go-ahead or not, it just seems in poor taste to me.

 

[Lynda-Marie]

What you said, Todd!

 

[clayton b]

Yeesh. Remind me to never buy a Volkswagen.

 

[Peter McM]

Amy:



Xanadu, my favorite "bad" movie of all time, was the last film in which Mr. Kelly sang, danced, and acted. No, Amy, he didn't disco dance; he did roller skate pretty well, however.

 

[Scott_MacD]

Hideous.. just hideous. *shudder*

 

[Adam Portrais]

And who can forget the Fred Astaire with a vacuum tv ads?

 

[Shane D]

that commercial is creepy

 

[Lew Crippen]

My favorite in the post-death irony department…



Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.

 

[Adam Portrais]

Okay, I gotta update; When I first posted I was at work and for some unknown reason we can't view QT movies. Having now seen it I have to say it is creepy and wrong....very wrong.

 

[GlennH]

Not to mention they made it widescreen. The OAR should be 1.37:1 !!

 

[Patrick H.]

Okay, 20 seconds of Lawrence Olivier's head as a hologram in Sky Captain is one thing, but this is entirely another. It's not the even concept that bothers me so much as the execution...the MOVEMENT in that thing is so wierd and unnatural it made my skin crawl! I pity the poor fool who had to spend weeks animating/comping this thing together! Ugh!

 

[Sean Laughter]

I was actually told the dancing is not animated but instead they simply put Kelly's face on a dancer of similar stature and build. Kind of like how they did some of Count Dooku's fight scenes in AOTC.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

And that was creepy and unnatural too