Musicals

After the introduction of sound to motion pictures, the musical genre was a natural cinematic progression. According to film historian Rick Altman, “The musical is… one of the most characteristic creations of the Hollywood film industry” (294). It is a genre that is uniquely American, and encompasses more than 1,500 films (Altman 294). Surprisingly, though, there actually is evidence of silent film musicals, with the 1907 interpretation of The Merry Widow operetta, in which musical numbers were played to synchronized perfection by live musicians (Altman 294). An operetta was the first popular type of musical film, and was a perfect visual fit because of its sophisticated elegance, strong melodies, and intriguing geographical location settings (Neale 106). Not surprisingly, the first ‘talkie,’ Warner Brothers’ The Jazz Singer (1927), featured the first musical numbers ever heard on film (Collins 269). The first film musical was the Broadway Melody of 1929, and its immediate popularity ensured this new genre would become an integral part of modern cinema.

The 1930s have been dubbed “the golden age of the musical,” and it laid the structural foundation for all subsequent film musicals (Collins 270). With few exceptions, films that comprise the musical genre contain:

• Narrative storyline connecting music and dance routines;

• Male and female characters seeking happiness through love;

• Acting that combines realism with rhythmic movements;

• Mixture of diegetic music and spoken/sung dialogue (Altman 297-298).

This film genre has historically consisted of three evocative forms. First, there is the fairytale musical, which typically features some type of aristocratic setting such as a palace or hotel, and a romantic pairing that ultimately restores order to chaos (Altman 300). Next, there is the show musical set in New York City and considers a middle-class couple seeking riches who get together to create a show that will make their dreams come true. Finally, there is the folk musical, which is usually set in small-town (commonly rural) America during the early twentieth century, and examines the lives of two people at odds who are eventually joined in marriage and a rejoicing of community (Altman 201).

In terms of historical context, musical films always display “an acute awareness of the contemporary culture surrounding them and the historical traditions preceding them” (Collins 269). For example, Gold Diggers of 1933 was released at the height of the Great Depression and shortly after the inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The opening number, “We’re in the Money,” was designed to paint an optimistic picture for audiences that were suffering through the most financially difficult times in American history (Collins 272). This intentional escapism invites filmgoers to check their troubles at the door of the movie house and enjoy entertainment for entertainment’s sake (Collins 272). But in stark contrast is the film’s closing number, “My Forgotten Man,” in which a lone female singer, who has been forced by circumstances to turn to prostitution, sings while the camera pans throughout city streets filled with forgotten men that have lost their savings and their identities in the Depression era (Collins 272).

The resurgence in musicals during the early 1950s represent a return to ‘good times’ in the American economy following World War II. But with the advent of television, film musicals began catering to a younger, teen audience in the late 1950s, and Jailhouse Rock (1957) represents the first rock musical. As musicals became bigger and more controversial in order to get people away from their televisions, more complex social themes began being explored in films such as West Side Story (1961), Hair (1968), and Saturday Night Fever (1977). Religious themes also enjoyed brief popularity in the ‘rock opera’ film musicals of the early 1970s with the releases of Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell, both in 1973. While these biblical musicals may have been rooted in history, they were specifically designed to also reflect the times in which they were produced.

Steve Neale asserts in his text, Genre in Hollywood, “The musical has always been a mongrel genre” (105). While this may be true, there is traditionally an underlying theme throughout musicals that are conveyed through elaborate song and dance numbers (Neale 105). Usually, the film musical showcases a young man and young woman who are strangers when the curtain goes up. However, throughout the course of their musical journey, each of these individuals hope to beat the odds and achieve some type of fairytale ‘happily ever after’ in the real world. This usually translates to mean finding