DOCSLIB.ORG

Musical Films

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Musical Films Musicals 42nd Street (NR) Damn Yankees (NR) 1776 (PG) A Date with Judy (NR) Across the Universe (PG-13) Deep in My Heart (NR) Alexander’s Ragtime Band (NR) De-Lovely (PG-13) All That Jazz (R) Dirty Dancing (PG-13) An American in Paris (NR) The Dolly Sisters (NR) Anchors Aweigh (NR) Dreamgirls (PG-13) Annie Get Your Gun (NR) Easter Parade (NR) The Band Wagon (NR) El Cantante (R) The Barkleys of Broadway (NR) Everyone Says I Love You (R) Begin Again (R) Evita (PG) Bells are Ringing (NR) The Fabulous Baker Boys (R) Bessie (TV-MA) Fame (1980 – R) Beyond the Sea (PG-13) Fame (2009 – PG) Blue Hawaii (PG) Fiddler on the Roof (G) The Blues Brothers (R) The Five Pennies (NR) Born to Dance (NR) Footloose (1984 – PG) Brigadoon (NR) Footloose (2011 – PG-13) The Broadway Melody (NR) For Me and My Gal (NR) Broadway Melody of 1936 (NR) Forever Plaid (G) Broadway Melody of 1938 (NR) Funny Face (NR) Broadway Melody of 1940 (NR) Funny Girl (G) Bye, Bye Birdie (G) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cabaret (PG) the Forum (NR) Cadillac Records (R) The Gay Divorcee (NR) Calamity Jane (NR) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (G) Camelot (G) Get On Up (PG-13) Carmen Jones (NR) Gigi (G) Carousel (NR) The Glenn Miller Story (NR) Chicago (PG-13) Going My Way (NR) Cinderella (NR) Good News (NR) Cover Girl (NR) Grease (PG) Crazy Heart (R) Grease 2 (PG) Grease Live! (TV14) Look for the Silver Lining (NR) The Great Ziegfeld (NR) Love & Mercy (PG-13) Guys and Dolls (NR) Love Me Tender (NR) Gypsy (NR) Love’s Labour’s Lost (PG) Hair (PG) Mamma Mia! (PG-13) Hairspray (PG) Meet Me in St. Louis (NR) A Hard Day’s Night (G) Moulin Rouge (PG-13) The Harvey Girls (NR) The Music Man (1962 – G) Hedwig and the Angry Inch (R) The Music Man (2003 – G) Hello, Dolly! (G) My Fair Lady (G) High Society (NR) Naughty Marietta (NR) Hit the Deck (NR) New York, New York (PG) Holiday Inn (NR) Nine (PG-13) How to Succeed in Business Without Really Nunsense (NR) Trying (NR) Oklahoma! (1955 – G) I’ll See You in My Dreams (NR) Oklahoma! (1999 – NR) I’m Not There (R) On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (G) In the Good Old Summertime (NR) Once (R) In Old Chicago (NR) On Moonlight Bay (NR) Inside Llewyn Davis (R) Paint Your Wagon (PG-13) Into the Woods (PG) The Pajama Game (NR) The Jazz Singer (NR) Pal Joey (NR) Jersey Boys (R) Pennies from Heaven (1936 – NR) Jolson Sings Again (NR) Pennies from Heaven (1981 – R) Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor The Phantom of the Opera (PG-13) Dreamcoat (NR) Pitch Perfect (PG-13) Joyful Noise (PG-13) Pitch Perfect 2 (PG-13) The King and I (NR) The Producers (PG-13) Kismet (NR) Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway (NR) La Vie En Rose (PG-13) Roberta (NR) Lady Be Good (NR) Rock of Ages (PG-13) Les Girls (NR) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (R) Les Miserables (PG-13) Saawariya (PG) Little Shop of Horrors (PG-13) The Sapphires (PG-13) Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (G) Three Little Words (NR) The Seven Little Foys (NR) The Three Musketeers (NR) Shall We Dance (NR) Tommy (PG) Show Boat (NR) Top Hat (NR) Sing Street (PG-13) Topsy-Turvy (R) Singin’ in the Rain (G) The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (NR) The Sound of Music (G) The Unsinkable Molly Brown (NR) South Pacific (NR) Viva Las Vegas (NR) Sparkle (PG-13) Walk the Line (PG-13) A Star is Born (1954 – NR) West Side Story (NR) A Star is Born (1978 – R) White Christmas (NR) State Fair (NR) The Wiz (G) Summer Stock (NR) The Wizard of Oz (G) Sweeney Todd (R) Yankee Doodle Dandy (NR) Sweet Charity (G) Yentl (PG) Sweethearts (NR) You’ll Never Get Rich (NR) Swing Time (NR) Young at Heart (NR) There’s No Business Like Show Business Ziegfeld Follies (NR) (NR) Thoroughly Modern Millie (G) Updated 9/28/16 Thousands Cheer (NR) .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Who's Who at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1939)
    W H LU * ★ M T R 0 G 0 L D W Y N LU ★ ★ M A Y R MyiWL- * METRO GOLDWYN ■ MAYER INDEX... UJluii STARS ... FEATURED PLAYERS DIRECTORS Astaire. Fred .... 12 Lynn, Leni. 66 Barrymore. Lionel . 13 Massey, Ilona .67 Beery Wallace 14 McPhail, Douglas 68 Cantor, Eddie . 15 Morgan, Frank 69 Crawford, Joan . 16 Morriss, Ann 70 Donat, Robert . 17 Murphy, George 71 Eddy, Nelson ... 18 Neal, Tom. 72 Gable, Clark . 19 O'Keefe, Dennis 73 Garbo, Greta . 20 O'Sullivan, Maureen 74 Garland, Judy. 21 Owen, Reginald 75 Garson, Greer. .... 22 Parker, Cecilia. 76 Lamarr, Hedy .... 23 Pendleton, Nat. 77 Loy, Myrna . 24 Pidgeon, Walter 78 MacDonald, Jeanette 25 Preisser, June 79 Marx Bros. —. 26 Reynolds, Gene. 80 Montgomery, Robert .... 27 Rice, Florence . 81 Powell, Eleanor . 28 Rutherford, Ann ... 82 Powell, William .... 29 Sothern, Ann. 83 Rainer Luise. .... 30 Stone, Lewis. 84 Rooney, Mickey . 31 Turner, Lana 85 Russell, Rosalind .... 32 Weidler, Virginia. 86 Shearer, Norma . 33 Weissmuller, John 87 Stewart, James .... 34 Young, Robert. 88 Sullavan, Margaret .... 35 Yule, Joe.. 89 Taylor, Robert . 36 Berkeley, Busby . 92 Tracy, Spencer . 37 Bucquet, Harold S. 93 Ayres, Lew. 40 Borzage, Frank 94 Bowman, Lee . 41 Brown, Clarence 95 Bruce, Virginia . 42 Buzzell, Eddie 96 Burke, Billie 43 Conway, Jack 97 Carroll, John 44 Cukor, George. 98 Carver, Lynne 45 Fenton, Leslie 99 Castle, Don 46 Fleming, Victor .100 Curtis, Alan 47 LeRoy, Mervyn 101 Day, Laraine 48 Lubitsch, Ernst.102 Douglas, Melvyn 49 McLeod, Norman Z. 103 Frants, Dalies . 50 Marin, Edwin L. .104 George, Florence 51 Potter, H.
    [Show full text]
  • “White Christmas”—Bing Crosby (1942) Added to the National Registry: 2002 Essay by Cary O’Dell
    “White Christmas”—Bing Crosby (1942) Added to the National Registry: 2002 Essay by Cary O’Dell Crosby’s 1945 holiday album Original release label “Holiday Inn” movie poster With the possible exception of “Silent Night,” no other song is more identified with the holiday season than “White Christmas.” And no singer is more identified with it than its originator, Bing Crosby. And, perhaps, rightfully so. Surely no other Christmas tune has ever had the commercial or cultural impact as this song or sold as many copies--50 million by most estimates, making it the best-selling record in history. Irving Berlin wrote “White Christmas” in 1940. Legends differ as to where and how though. Some say he wrote it poolside at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona, a reasonable theory considering the song’s wishing for wintery weather. Some though say that’s just a good story. Furthermore, some histories say Berlin knew from the beginning that the song was going to be a massive hit but another account says when he brought it to producer-director Mark Sandrich, Berlin unassumingly described it as only “an amusing little number.” Likewise, Bing Crosby himself is said to have found the song only merely adequate at first. Regardless, everyone agrees that it was in 1942, when Sandrich was readying a Christmas- themed motion picture “Holiday Inn,” that the song made its debut. The film starred Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby and it needed a holiday song to be sung by Crosby and his leading lady, Marjorie Reynolds (whose vocals were dubbed). Enter “White Christmas.” Though the film would not be seen for many months, millions of Americans got to hear it on Christmas night, 1941, when Crosby sang it alone on his top-rated radio show “The Kraft Music Hall.” On May 29, 1942, he recorded it during the sessions for the “Holiday Inn” album issued that year.
    [Show full text]
  • Hollywood Musicals
    i HOLLYWOOD MUSICALS Hollywood Musicals offers an insightful account of a genre that was once a main- stay of twentieth- century fi lm production and continues to draw audiences today. What is a fi lm musical? How do musicals work, formally and culturally? Why have they endured since the introduction of sound in the late 1920s? What makes them more than glittery surfaces or escapist fare? In answering such questions, this guidebook by Steven Cohan takes new and familiar viewers on a tour of Hollywood musicals. Chapters discuss defi nitions of the genre, its long history, different modes of analyzing it, the great stars of the classic era, and auteur directors. Highlights include extended discussions of such celebrated musicals from the studio era as The Love Parade, Top Hat , Holiday Inn , Stormy Weather, The Gang’s All Here, Meet Me in St. Louis, Cover Girl, Mother Wore Tights, Singin’ in the Rain , Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Band Wagon , Seven Brides for Seven Brothers , and Jailhouse Rock as well as later fi lms, such a s Cabaret , All that Jazz, Beauty and the Beast, and La La Land. Cohan brings in numerous other examples that amplify and extend to the present day his claims about the musical, its generic coherence and fl exibility, its long and distinguished history, its special appeal, and its cultural signifi cance. Clear and accessible, this guide provides students of fi lm and culture with a succinct but substantial overview that provides both analysis and intersectional context to one of Hollywood’s most beloved genres. Steven Cohan’s books include Masked Men: Masculinity and the Movies in the Fifties, Incongruous Entertainment: Camp, Cultural Value, and the MGM Musical , and Hollywood by Hollywood: The Backstudio Picture and the Mystique of Making Movies.
    [Show full text]
  • Broadway Melody
    BROADWAY MELODY: The beginning of Hollywood musicals This film review features a discussion on the relationship of film criticisms written at the time of the film’s release and others, which were written years later. 10 pages long. BROADWAY MELODY: The beginning of Hollywood musicals Broadway Melody's release on February 1, 1929 captures the attention of such issues as sound replacing silence and technology rather then the usual racial and political overtones like a lot of other genres. Most musicals had very simplistic plots: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy sings song, and boy gets girl. Although there was racial discrimination like the depiction of black speciality acts, such as the Nicholas Brothers and the Berry Brothers, as janitors etc., the story lines were none violent, free of political issues and always ended on a happy note pretty much until West Side Story. By 1960 the musical was but a thing of the past with only a few films a year. All this being said, it is important to understand the context of the genre in order to formulate criticism other then saying that the shots are simple and that the acting, in general, was lousy. As one analyses a musical such as Broadway Melody of 1929 one finds that the art of the movie musical is found in the star's ability to sing, act and dance effectively. By far the most frequent comment about Broadway Melody is that of it's relationship with Broadway and it's backstage on stage look at vaudeville performance, an activity that most of all the audiences of the 10's and 20's could relate to.
    [Show full text]
  • Cole Porter: the Social Significance of Selected Love Lyrics of the 1930S
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Unisa Institutional Repository Cole Porter: the social significance of selected love lyrics of the 1930s by MARILYN JUNE HOLLOWAY submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the subject of ENGLISH at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR IA RABINOWITZ November 2010 DECLARATION i SUMMARY This dissertation examines selected love lyrics composed during the 1930s by Cole Porter, whose witty and urbane music epitomized the Golden era of American light music. These lyrics present an interesting paradox – a man who longed for his music to be accepted by the American public, yet remained indifferent to the social mores of the time. Porter offered trenchant social commentary aimed at a society restricted by social taboos and cultural conventions. The argument develops systematically through a chronological and contextual study of the influences of people and events on a man and his music. The prosodic intonation and imagistic texture of the lyrics demonstrate an intimate correlation between personality and composition which, in turn, is supported by the biographical content. KEY WORDS: Broadway, Cole Porter, early Hollywood musicals, gays and musicals, innuendo, musical comedy, social taboos, song lyrics, Tin Pan Alley, 1930 film censorship ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I should like to thank Professor Ivan Rabinowitz, my supervisor, who has been both my mentor and an unfailing source of encouragement; Dawie Malan who was so patient in sourcing material from libraries around the world with remarkable fortitude and good humour; Dr Robin Lee who suggested the title of my dissertation; Dr Elspa Hovgaard who provided academic and helpful comment; my husband, Henry Holloway, a musicologist of world renown, who had to share me with another man for three years; and the man himself, Cole Porter, whose lyrics have thrilled, and will continue to thrill, music lovers with their sophistication and wit.
    [Show full text]
  • Movie Store Collections- Includes Factory Download Service
    Kaleidescape Movie Store Collections- Includes Factory Download Service. *Content Availability Subject to Change. Collection of 4K Ultra HD & 4K HDR Films Academy Award Winners- Best Picture Collection of Family Films Collection of Concerts Collection of Best Content from BBC Our Price $1,250* Our Price $1,450* Our Price $2,450* Our Price $625* Our Price $650* MSCOLL-UHD MSCOLL-BPW MSCOLL-FAM MSCOLL-CON MSCOLL-BBC 2001: A Space Odyssey 12 Years a Slave Abominable Adele: Live at the Royal Albert Hall Blue Planet II A Star Is Born A Beautiful Mind Aladdin Alicia Keys: VH1 Storytellers Doctor Who (Season 8) Alien A Man for All Seasons Alice in Wonderland Billy Joel: Live at Shea Stadium Doctor Who (Season 9) Apocalypse Now: Final Cut All About Eve April and the Extraordinary World Celine Dion: Taking Chances World Tour - The Concert Doctor Who (Season 10) Avengers: Endgame All Quiet on the Western Front Babe Eagles: Farewell 1 Tour — Live from Melbourne Doctor Who (Season 11) Avengers: Infinity War All the King's Men Back to the Future Elton John: The Million Dollar Piano Doctor Who Special 2012: The Snowmen Baby Driver Amadeus Back to the Future Part II Eric Clapton: Slowhand at 70 - Live at the Royal Albert Hall Doctor Who Special 2013: The Day of the Doctor Blade Runner 2049 American Beauty Back to the Future Part III Genesis: Three Sides Live Doctor Who Special 2013: The Time of the Doctor Blade Runner: The Final Cut An American in Paris Beauty and the Beast Hans Zimmer: Live in Prague Doctor Who Special 2014: Last Christmas Blue Planet II Annie Hall Cars INXS: Live Baby Live Doctor Who Special 2015: The Husbands of River Song Bohemian Rhapsody Argo Cars 2 Jackie Evancho: Dream with Me in Concert Doctor Who Special 2016: The Return of Doctor Mysterio Chinatown Around the World in 80 Days Cars 3 Jeff Beck: Performing This Week..
    [Show full text]
  • Indices for Alley Sing-A-Long Books
    INDICES FOR ALLEY SING-A-LONG BOOKS Combined Table of Contents Places Index Songs for Multiple Singers People Index Film and Show Index Year Index INDICES FOR THE UNOFFICIAL ALLEY SING-A-LONG BOOKS Acknowledgments: Indices created by: Tony Lewis Explanation of Abbreviations (w) “words by” (P) “Popularized by” (CR) "Cover Record" i.e., a (m) “music by” (R) “Rerecorded by” competing record made of the same (wm) “words and music by” (RR) “Revival Recording” song shortly after the original record (I) “Introduced by” (usually the first has been issued record) NARAS Award Winner –Grammy Award These indices can be downloaded from http://www.exelana.com/Alley/TheAlley-Indices.pdf Best Is Yet to Come, The ............................................. 1-6 4 Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea .................. 2-6 nd Bewitched .................................................................... 1-7 42 Street (see Forty-Second Street) ........................ 2-20 Beyond the Sea ............................................................ 2-7 Bicycle Built for Two (see Daisy Bell) ..................... 2-15 A Big Spender ................................................................. 2-6 Bill ............................................................................... 1-7 A, You’re Adorable (The Alphabet Song) .................. 1-1 Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home ............... 1-8 Aba Daba Honeymoon, The ........................................ 1-1 Black Coffee ...............................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Films Winning 4 Or More Awards Without Winning Best Picture
    FILMS WINNING 4 OR MORE AWARDS WITHOUT WINNING BEST PICTURE Best Picture winner indicated by brackets Highlighted film titles were not nominated in the Best Picture category [Updated thru 88th Awards (2/16)] 8 AWARDS Cabaret, Allied Artists, 1972. [The Godfather] 7 AWARDS Gravity, Warner Bros., 2013. [12 Years a Slave] 6 AWARDS A Place in the Sun, Paramount, 1951. [An American in Paris] Star Wars, 20th Century-Fox, 1977 (plus 1 Special Achievement Award). [Annie Hall] Mad Max: Fury Road, Warner Bros., 2015 [Spotlight] 5 AWARDS Wilson, 20th Century-Fox, 1944. [Going My Way] The Bad and the Beautiful, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1952. [The Greatest Show on Earth] The King and I, 20th Century-Fox, 1956. [Around the World in 80 Days] Mary Poppins, Buena Vista Distribution Company, 1964. [My Fair Lady] Doctor Zhivago, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1965. [The Sound of Music] Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Warner Bros., 1966. [A Man for All Seasons] Saving Private Ryan, DreamWorks, 1998. [Shakespeare in Love] The Aviator, Miramax, Initial Entertainment Group and Warner Bros., 2004. [Million Dollar Baby] Hugo, Paramount, 2011. [The Artist] 4 AWARDS The Informer, RKO Radio, 1935. [Mutiny on the Bounty] Anthony Adverse, Warner Bros., 1936. [The Great Ziegfeld] The Song of Bernadette, 20th Century-Fox, 1943. [Casablanca] The Heiress, Paramount, 1949. [All the King’s Men] A Streetcar Named Desire, Warner Bros., 1951. [An American in Paris] High Noon, United Artists, 1952. [The Greatest Show on Earth] Sayonara, Warner Bros., 1957. [The Bridge on the River Kwai] Spartacus, Universal-International, 1960. [The Apartment] Cleopatra, 20th Century-Fox, 1963.
    [Show full text]
  • 2008: a Year of Variety
    The Judy Room2008 Year In Review 2008: A YEAR OF VARIETY In 2008 our world of “Judy Fandom” experienced a wide variety of products, events, and celebrations. Along with some wonderful CD, DVD and print releases, we were treated to some great events, like the high-tech “Judy Garland In Concert” which suc- essfully showcased Judy “live” in concert. Warner Home Video announced their first- ever 6k resolution restoration - and they chose A Star Is Born! Vincente Minnelli’s childhood home received a commemorative marker. The off-Broadway show “Judy and Me” received glowing reviews. The artwork to Judy’s 1962 animated film Gay Purr-ee (she was the voice of the main character, “Mewsette”) was featured in a special exhibition by the Academy of Mo- tion Picture Arts & Sciences. The Judy Garland Festival in Grand Rapids, Minnesota was again a success. And the 2009 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz began early with com- memorative stamps and noted designers creating their own interpretations of the famed Ruby Slippers, all for the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS foundation - some- thing Judy herself probably would have supported had she lived. The following pages feature the highlights of the year, plus what’s to come (that I know of so far) for 2009. It’s a testament to Judy’s tal- ent and genius that here we are almost 40 years past her death, and she’s still making news, and still having an impact on the world of entertainment. I hope you enjoy this year’s Year In Review, and I thank you for your continued support.
    [Show full text]
  • California Film Institute Sponsorship Opportunities
    MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL | CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES THE CALIFORNIA FILM INSTITUTE celebrates film as art and education by presenting the annual MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL, exhibiting film year-round at the non-profit CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER, and building the next generation of filmmakers and film lovers through CFI EDUCATION. The MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL is an The SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER is a CFI EDUCATION is building the next eleven-day celebration of the finest inde- beautifully restored Art Deco theater with generation of filmmakers and film lovers pendent and international films, tributes three screens and state-of-the-art presen- through its creative film programs which and galas. A hot stop on the Oscar® cir- tation, offering year-round programming annually serve over 8,000 students, educa- cuit, MVFF attracts the most talented and of internationally acclaimed screenings, tors, adults and families. Using film as an celebrated industry elite. The Festival an- special community events and in-person educational tool, programs reach across nually welcomes more than 200 filmmakers filmmaker appearances. In 2015, the Smith social, cultural and economic boundaries representing more than 50 countries, and Rafael Film Center welcomed 145,000 film to support and encourage youth toward hosts an audience of 68,000+ guests. lovers and 123 filmmaker guests. critical thinking, media literacy and a nuanced worldview. As a sponsor of CFI: THE RAFAEL, MVFF or CFI EDUCATION, you will contribute to the success of the mission and associate your business with distinctive and internationally recognized programs. Individual packages are designed around the unique needs of your company to more keenly focus on areas relevant to your brand such as product sampling, talent access and brand awareness, product placement, brand immersion and on-site activation.
    [Show full text]
  • Announcing a VIEW from the BRIDGE
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE “One of the most powerful productions of a Miller play I have ever seen. By the end you feel both emotionally drained and unexpectedly elated — the classic hallmark of a great production.” - The Daily Telegraph “To say visionary director Ivo van Hove’s production is the best show in the West End is like saying Stonehenge is the current best rock arrangement in Wiltshire; it almost feels silly to compare this pure, primal, colossal thing with anything else on the West End. A guileless granite pillar of muscle and instinct, Mark Strong’s stupendous Eddie is a force of nature.” - Time Out “Intense and adventurous. One of the great theatrical productions of the decade.” -The London Times DIRECT FROM TWO SOLD-OUT ENGAGEMENTS IN LONDON YOUNG VIC’S OLIVIER AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTION OF ARTHUR MILLER’S “A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE” Directed by IVO VAN HOVE STARRING MARK STRONG, NICOLA WALKER, PHOEBE FOX, EMUN ELLIOTT, MICHAEL GOULD IS COMING TO BROADWAY THIS FALL PREVIEWS BEGIN WEDNESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 21 OPENING NIGHT IS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 AT THE LYCEUM THEATRE Direct from two completely sold-out engagements in London, producers Scott Rudin and Lincoln Center Theater will bring the Young Vic’s critically-acclaimed production of Arthur Miller’s A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE to Broadway this fall. The production, which swept the 2015 Olivier Awards — winning for Best Revival, Best Director, and Best Actor (Mark Strong) —will begin previews Wednesday evening, October 21 and open on Thursday, November 12 at the Lyceum Theatre, 149 West 45 Street.
    [Show full text]
  • Everything Began with the Movie Moulin Rouge (2001)
    Introduction Everything began with the movie Moulin Rouge (2001). Since I was so obsessed with this hit film, I couldn’t but want to know more about this particular genre - musical films. Then I started to trace the history of this genre back to Hollywood’s classical musical films. It’s interesting that musical films have undergone several revivals and are usually regarded as the products of escapism. Watching those protagonists singing and dancing happily, the audience can daydream freely and forget about the cruel reality. What are the aesthetic artifices of this genre so enchanting that it always catches the eye of audience generation after generation? What kinds of ideal life do these musical films try to depict? Do they (musical films) merely escape from reality or, as a matter of fact, implicitly criticize the society? In regard to the musical films produced by Hollywood, what do they reflect the contemporary social, political or economic situations? To investigate these aspects, I start my research project on the Hollywood musical film genre from the 1950s (its Classical Period) to 2002. However, some people might wonder that among all those Hollywood movies, what is so special about the musical films that makes them distinguish from the other types of movies? On the one hand, the musical film genre indeed has several important contributions to the Hollywood industry, and its influence never wanes even until today. In need of specialty for musical film production, many talented professional dancers and singers thus get the chances to join in Hollywood and prove themselves as great actors (actresses), too.
    [Show full text]