The movie musical had its start in 1927 when Al Jolson in the first talking feature film, "The Jazz Singer" said “You ain’t heard nothing yet” and proceeded to sing Toot, Toot, Tootsie! (Goo'bye).
From this simple beginning the movie musical has evolved cinematically and matured in its content. It’s morphed from 90 minutes of mindless singing and dancing to an art form that embraces diverse musical styles and is unafraid to tackle serious subject matter such as race, gender and the media.
This purpose of this SDG is to show the evolution of the "movie musical". Some are original works for the screen, some adapted from hit Broadway shows and others have looked to television and other sources. However, whether original or adapted, the movie musical is a unique art form unto itself; grounded in the fluidity of the camera and all of the other conventions that differentiate cinema from other art forms.
During the course of 14 weeks, we will examine the roots of the movie musical and discover how it has embraced pop culture, Broadway and has been adopted as a cinematic genre throughout the world.
Here is a list of the movie musical and topics we will be exploring.
1. 42nd Street ('33) - The quintessential backstage musical. "Sawyer, you're going out a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!" (Busby Berkley and early movie musicals)
2. Top Hat ('35) – Fred and Ginger trip the light fantastic to a hit parade of tunes by Irving Berlin. The "classic" movie musical and its legacy of immortal songs. (Musicals and the Great American Songbook)
3. Snow White ('37) – The first American animated feature film and to this day the highest grossing (adjusted for inflation) animated film of all time. Eat your heart out Shrek! (Animation + music; the Disney legacy))
4. Stormy Weather (’43) – Decide for yourself whether this all Black musical insultingly panders to racial stereotypes or is a tribute to Black achievement and talent. Either way you’ll be enthralled by performances from Lena Horne, Cab Calloway, Fats Waller and the Nicholas Brother. (The portrayal and participation of African Americans and ethnic minorities in Hollywood musicals)
5. The King and I (’56) – The game changing Rodgers and Hammerstein blockbuster transfers from Broadway to the local movie house. (Broadway storms the cineplex)
6. Gigi (‘58) – Leslie Caron charms Louis Jordan while Maurice Chevalier Thanks Heaven for Little Girls to a lush Parisian infused Lerner and Lowe score. (The MGM musical)
7. Hipsters ( 2011) - A rollicking Russian musical about jazz and alternative youth culture in 1950's Soviet Russia. It won both the Golden Eagle Award and the Nikka Award (Russia's equivalent to the Oscar and the Golden Globe) as Best Picture. (The youth musical)
8. Saturday Night Fever ('77) – John Travolta, disco music and a multi-platinum soundtrack by the Bee Gee’s. (Multi-million dollar movie soundtracks)
9. Victor / Victoria (’82) – Julie Andrews, Robert Preston and Henry Mancini provide a gender bending look at 1930’s gay Paree. (Gender issues in movie musicals)
10. Beauty and the Beast (’91) – Disney resurrects the animated musical with an assist from Angela Lansbury and some singing and dancing tableware. (The re-awakening of the animated musical.)
11. Shall We Dance (’96) A Japanese accountant becomes seduced by the grace of the ballroom dance floor. Enjoy the original Japanese version that inspired the Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez remake. (The dance musical, a sub-genre)
12. Moulin Rouge (2001) An extravagant mash-up of Toulouse Lautrec’s bohemian Paris set to the beats of David Bowie, Madonna and Queen with a dollop of Rogers and Hammerstein for good measure. (The jukebox musical)
13. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (‘01) – The award-winning, 250 million-dollar Bollywood musical about a small Indian town learning to play cricket. A jaunt to India and its iconic Bollywood musicals. (Bollywood musicals)
14. Chicago (’02) A musical mélange of murder, showbiz, journalism, the law and all the jazz. An Oscar and Tony winning juggernaut that’s still going strong on Broadway after 26 years. (From movie to Broadway)
There is no core book. Our format will be to examine each weeks film from a cinematic standpoint; direction, cinematography, screenplay, acting, music, choreography, etc. Part of this process will include focusing on one of the film's musical sequences for a more in-depth discussion. We will also discuss the role that each film played in the evolution of the "movie musical" Each week's topic is listed in parentheses after the description of the film.
In order to create an outline for discussion each week's presenter will be expected to research their film and its related topic using available resources including Wikipedia, the internet, books and periodicals.
All films are currently available online. Some are available for free, others on streaming services and others for a minimal rental fee. Many are also available from your local library on DVD.
Please note this SDG has a start time of 10:30am and concludes at 12:30pm.