Bibliography
Youtube.com
Wikipedia.com
IMBD.com
musicals101.com/future.htm
musicals101.com/2000film.htm
freebase.com/view/en/musical
Hollywood Genres - Thomas Schatz 1981
Guilty Pleasures - Pamela Robertson 1996
The Contemporary Hollywood Film Industry - Paul Macdonald 2008
Films referenced
Chicago (2002)
Moulin Rouge (2001)
Show Boat (1951)
Oklahoma! (1955)
West Side Story (1961)
Cats (1998)
Dream Girls (2006)
Phantom of the Opera (2004)
Sweet Charity (1969)
In To The Woods (1991)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Sweeney Todd (2007)
Hairspray (2007)
Tuesday 25 May 2010
Conclusion
Musicals have been an uplifting form of entertainment whether it is through song, dance or drama. The strong conventions of them are the dichotomies that run through each of the musicals and create the conflict within the storyline, storylines which also have serious underlying issues beneath the bright and breezy world that is mostly always portrayed within the Musical Film / Theatre world. The lyrics and style of the dances reflect the characters feelings and help the audience break away from the drama and think about the character and the message they are bringing across in the performance. By using issues that are something of a moral panic when the musical is created gives people a release from day to day life and allows them to transfer in to the world of musicals, where anything is possible.
“The greatest thing you will ever learn, is just to love, and be loved in return” - Moulin Rouge
“The greatest thing you will ever learn, is just to love, and be loved in return” - Moulin Rouge
“When you’re a Jet you’re a Jet all the way from you’re first cigarette to you’re last dying day” - West Side Story
“The lavish screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera (2005) only deepened the damage. What had been impressive on stage seemed pretentious on screen. With non-stars in the leads and an unimaginative production, the film suffered dismal domestic box office results. The Producers (2005) and Rent (2005) made their way to the big screen with most of their original Broadway cast members on hand, but the results were lifeless and both films were box office failures.”
http://www.musicals101.com/2000film.htm
The movement of musicals from the stage to film has been a hard transfer for fans of the genre to deal with. Although Musical films give way for bigger and better sets and more crisp sound quality, there is nothing like sitting in a theatre and listening to an actress singing live, and being suspended in disbelief as she sings her love for a man. Although, musical films may have damaged some musicals, there is one in particular that it may have done justice. “Sweeney Todd”, the narrative follows the typical musical structure, a man haunted by his past who seeks to right wrongs, there is a bitter sweet love interest and also some rather disturbing underlying storylines, such as paedophilia and gruesome murder. Sweeney Todd, the anti-hero of the musical seeks revenge on Judge Turpin who had him arrested and deported to Australia, on his return he finds that his wife has committed suicide and his daughter is locked away in the Judges house, while the Judge plots to marry the 14 year old girl. It is here that Sweeney Todd plans his revenge to slit the Judges throat with his trusted barber shaving blades. In the stage production the special effects of the throats being slit are either done off stage or from behind a screen, although this may have been effective for when more sensitive audiences were viewing the musical, audiences of today need more gore and grit to get them through a film. In this sense, the fact that “Sweeney Todd” has been renovated into a Musical Film does it some form of justice.
http://www.imdb.com/genre/musical
“Animated musicals were one of the most lucrative screen genres of the 1990s, and several of those feature length cartoons have mutated into Broadway stage versions. While the results may be artistically questionable, they certainly keep millions of people listening to show tunes. The success of the live action films Moulin Rouge (2001), Chicago (2002) and Dreamgirls (2007) show that innovative directors can still make film musicals profitable, fresh and exciting. At the same time, the costly failures It's Delovely (2004), Phantom of the Opera (2005), The Producers (2005) and Rent (2005) prove that Hollywood is still too willing to rely on empty production values rather than on quality material and intelligent presentation.”
http://www.musicals101.com/future.htm
The same goes for “Phantom of the Opera” although the stage production is some what enchanting, the scene where there is a flash back of how the man who turned in to the Phantom dies, where the chandler falls and kills him. In the film we see this vividly however, in the stage production we only see the remains of the chandler scattered across the stage and the impact of this does not have the same effect as the film, where the audience feels sympathy for the character of the unknown man.
Although some musicals that have been turned in to film versions have been great successes there still remains the fact that some of them have been massive flops and not broken even and have ruined the reputation of the Broadway / West End versions.
“The lavish screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera (2005) only deepened the damage. What had been impressive on stage seemed pretentious on screen. With non-stars in the leads and an unimaginative production, the film suffered dismal domestic box office results. The Producers (2005) and Rent (2005) made their way to the big screen with most of their original Broadway cast members on hand, but the results were lifeless and both films were box office failures.”
http://www.musicals101.com/2000film.htm
The movement of musicals from the stage to film has been a hard transfer for fans of the genre to deal with. Although Musical films give way for bigger and better sets and more crisp sound quality, there is nothing like sitting in a theatre and listening to an actress singing live, and being suspended in disbelief as she sings her love for a man. Although, musical films may have damaged some musicals, there is one in particular that it may have done justice. “Sweeney Todd”, the narrative follows the typical musical structure, a man haunted by his past who seeks to right wrongs, there is a bitter sweet love interest and also some rather disturbing underlying storylines, such as paedophilia and gruesome murder. Sweeney Todd, the anti-hero of the musical seeks revenge on Judge Turpin who had him arrested and deported to Australia, on his return he finds that his wife has committed suicide and his daughter is locked away in the Judges house, while the Judge plots to marry the 14 year old girl. It is here that Sweeney Todd plans his revenge to slit the Judges throat with his trusted barber shaving blades. In the stage production the special effects of the throats being slit are either done off stage or from behind a screen, although this may have been effective for when more sensitive audiences were viewing the musical, audiences of today need more gore and grit to get them through a film. In this sense, the fact that “Sweeney Todd” has been renovated into a Musical Film does it some form of justice.
http://www.imdb.com/genre/musical
“Animated musicals were one of the most lucrative screen genres of the 1990s, and several of those feature length cartoons have mutated into Broadway stage versions. While the results may be artistically questionable, they certainly keep millions of people listening to show tunes. The success of the live action films Moulin Rouge (2001), Chicago (2002) and Dreamgirls (2007) show that innovative directors can still make film musicals profitable, fresh and exciting. At the same time, the costly failures It's Delovely (2004), Phantom of the Opera (2005), The Producers (2005) and Rent (2005) prove that Hollywood is still too willing to rely on empty production values rather than on quality material and intelligent presentation.”
http://www.musicals101.com/future.htm
The same goes for “Phantom of the Opera” although the stage production is some what enchanting, the scene where there is a flash back of how the man who turned in to the Phantom dies, where the chandler falls and kills him. In the film we see this vividly however, in the stage production we only see the remains of the chandler scattered across the stage and the impact of this does not have the same effect as the film, where the audience feels sympathy for the character of the unknown man.
Although some musicals that have been turned in to film versions have been great successes there still remains the fact that some of them have been massive flops and not broken even and have ruined the reputation of the Broadway / West End versions.
Monday 10 May 2010
“Just a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down” - Mary Poppins
So, what was the point in creating this genre called Musicals? Working and middle class people created Vaudeville which was a show put together using different acts that were not linked. Eventually the audience craved more story and meaning to what they were watching, and so musicals were created. As I have said in previous blogs, all musicals hold and underlying serious meaning (except for most of Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s musicals, he has managed to disprove most of my theories!), musicals were used to brighten moods and give everything some what of a sugar coated glaze for what was going on at that particular point in time. For example, “Oklahoma!” was first staged in the 1943 during the second world war. The narrative structure was the same as any musical, there was a love story, lively songs, dancing and death at the end. However, this particular musical was about ‘the home land’ and protecting it at all costs. Curly, the lone cow boy comes back to his home land after travelling through the dessert and falls in love with Laurey, she can be described as, ‘the girl the men were fighting for’. Within the musical, there are songs about how amazing the home land is.
Oh What a Beautiful Morning!
“Oklahoma!” was shown to soldiers in the second world war to remind them about what they were fighting for. That the home land needed to be protected, or girls like Laurey, would be taken by the Germans.
“Musicals became a favoured form for audiences, especially during the Depression. These films celebrate spontaneity, both in terms of trying to replicate the experience of a live performance and having characters frequently pick up a prop and jump into a folksy number. In this way, classical musical films often gave the impression of an amateur's inspired and immediate performance--a type of sudden liberation and celebration that many claim makes for the most escapist-yet-intoxicating of the classical Hollywood genres.”
http://www.musicals101.com/2000film.htm
Another musical that uses this technique is “West Side Story”, first performed in 1957, this musical looked at the gangs and teenagers. Of course the musical wasn’t as violent as anything that you see today, but teenage gangs in America at that time ran on racism of different ethic minorities, just like The Jets and The Sharks. The Jets, were the home grown America boys with denim and leather. The Sharks were the Puerto Rican’s with silk and bright colours. The narrative again follows the generic musical line. There are hearty songs, forbidden love, dancing and death at the end. However, “West Side Story” just like every other American musical made
(Skip to 2.23) I Like to be in America!
“West Side Story” only raised more awareness of gang crime rather than actually do anything about it. It also raised the idea of racism being wrong, in a Romeo and Juliet round about way.
Most Musicals, depending on when they were written, will include some form of storyline about what is going on in that particular time. By doing this, even if it is a dyer situation, such as the second world war, people will feel better about the subject, because lets face it, music is the one thing that can pick us up when we are truly feeling down.
So, what was the point in creating this genre called Musicals? Working and middle class people created Vaudeville which was a show put together using different acts that were not linked. Eventually the audience craved more story and meaning to what they were watching, and so musicals were created. As I have said in previous blogs, all musicals hold and underlying serious meaning (except for most of Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s musicals, he has managed to disprove most of my theories!), musicals were used to brighten moods and give everything some what of a sugar coated glaze for what was going on at that particular point in time. For example, “Oklahoma!” was first staged in the 1943 during the second world war. The narrative structure was the same as any musical, there was a love story, lively songs, dancing and death at the end. However, this particular musical was about ‘the home land’ and protecting it at all costs. Curly, the lone cow boy comes back to his home land after travelling through the dessert and falls in love with Laurey, she can be described as, ‘the girl the men were fighting for’. Within the musical, there are songs about how amazing the home land is.
Oh What a Beautiful Morning!
“Oklahoma!” was shown to soldiers in the second world war to remind them about what they were fighting for. That the home land needed to be protected, or girls like Laurey, would be taken by the Germans.
“Musicals became a favoured form for audiences, especially during the Depression. These films celebrate spontaneity, both in terms of trying to replicate the experience of a live performance and having characters frequently pick up a prop and jump into a folksy number. In this way, classical musical films often gave the impression of an amateur's inspired and immediate performance--a type of sudden liberation and celebration that many claim makes for the most escapist-yet-intoxicating of the classical Hollywood genres.”
http://www.musicals101.com/2000film.htm
Another musical that uses this technique is “West Side Story”, first performed in 1957, this musical looked at the gangs and teenagers. Of course the musical wasn’t as violent as anything that you see today, but teenage gangs in America at that time ran on racism of different ethic minorities, just like The Jets and The Sharks. The Jets, were the home grown America boys with denim and leather. The Sharks were the Puerto Rican’s with silk and bright colours. The narrative again follows the generic musical line. There are hearty songs, forbidden love, dancing and death at the end. However, “West Side Story” just like every other American musical made
(Skip to 2.23) I Like to be in America!
“West Side Story” only raised more awareness of gang crime rather than actually do anything about it. It also raised the idea of racism being wrong, in a Romeo and Juliet round about way.
Most Musicals, depending on when they were written, will include some form of storyline about what is going on in that particular time. By doing this, even if it is a dyer situation, such as the second world war, people will feel better about the subject, because lets face it, music is the one thing that can pick us up when we are truly feeling down.
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