Musical film

The closing musical number remains a clear example of the films ability to handle the social issues, contradicting the light-hearted narrative prior to it. This number makes up for its lack of integration by evoking strong sympathy for displaced WWI veterans who now face a more intangible enemy in the form of the Depression. It hearkens back to a time when the now ‘forgotten’ men were regarded as heroes and when they understood how to live their lives and, consequently, how to love their women. The

Los Angles in this dream like idea. This musical presents two characters struggling to work towards their dreams in this city and instead romanticizes the nickname for the city. Damien Chazelle crafts a dreamy love story with a genre that has almost been absent from Hollywood. La La Land presents itself as being nostalgic for the old classical Hollywood musicals while also modernizing the idea of a movie musical for today’s audience. Throughout the film all these different things that seem to

Chicago is a 2002 musical film directed by Rob Marshall inspired by the Broadway musical of the same name. Chicago stars Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta Jones as two female killers who both yearn for stardom in the vaudeville circuit during the roaring 20’s. Queen Latifah and Richard Gere play supporting roles as well. The musical numbers combine elements of jazz and vaudeville to add a great layer of depth. This film was well received and received an Oscar for “Best Picture” at the 2003 Academy

The Musical The classical period of the musical coincided with the heyday of the Hollywood studios from the early thirties to the early fifties. The conventions of the integrated musical were formed in the Astaire--Rogers musicals made at RKO in the thirties and the form peaked at MGM in the forties and early fifties, most notably in films produced by Arthur Freed. Thomas Schatz has provided a useful definition of the integrated musical. `Rather than create a realistic --or at

Singin’ in the Rain was originally released in 1952, until it concealed by another prestigious film called, “An American in Paris”. Singin’ in the Rain has gradually grown in popularity and appeal. The case of Singing in the Rain demonstrates how the popular film, which has endured in value over the years to achieve canonical status as a classic, changes in its meaning. I feel it is important to define the word “classic” as it will be used here. Classic is a term that is “thrown around” and generally

Singng in The Rain, co-directed by star Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, is based in the late 1920s telling the story of the period in film history during the transition to sound movies. The main character, Don Lockwood, tells his story in his search for fame with his best friend, Cosmo Brown. In finding fame, popularity and fortune, Don literally has it all, except for a wife or girlfriend. Until on day, upon escaping his many female fans, he jumps into, Kathy Selden’s car, where she thinks he is a

Gender roles that conform to age old stereotypes are often present within the musical genre. These age-old gender roles are much of the time characterized by the women playing the role of the housewife who takes care of home affairs and looks after the children, while having no control over money or her own decisions, while the man is the only working figure in the picture, and the sole provider for the family; in short, the female is the obedient follower of the dominant male. From the article

1960s represented the height in popularity for the Hollywood musical. With every major production proving to be box office gold, the level of critical approval was high establishing the Hollywood musical as a genre. Born with the coming of sound, the Hollywood movie musical derived from two sources: opera and operetta, brought over by European emigres, and the American tradition of vaudeville, the inspiration behind so many “backstage” musicals, the plots of which revolved around putting on a show. The

with his musicals, carefully designed every little detail. For him, the mise-en-scene was paramount, so much so that character development would be expressed through the scenery. For example, Gene Kelly literally brings color wherever he goes in American in Paris. In Minnelli’s world, the worst thing a character can do is bring ugliness. Beauty was key. But that’s not to say that Minnelli’s films were light and fluffy. Even his airier films, like The Pirate, had tonal complexity. Demy’s musical world

Tragedy is what comes to us in the perception of absurdity; it is when we recognize it but we hate it. However, Comedy is the acceptance of absurdity. By examining the works of Much Ado about Nothing, Dr. Horribles Sing Along Blog, and Candide we can see that only through comedy do we make ourselves the superiors of absurdity and therefore we need tragedy to keep the balance between laughter and torment sustainable. In the version of John Whedons, ‘much ado’ parts of tragedy are combined with elements